I am very excited to be your son’s/daughter’s social studies teacher during the 2019-2020 school year at Bayfield High School. I wanted to let you know about my grading policy for the school year. This information was passed along to your son/daughter on the first day of class when they received their course syllabus. 80% of your child’s grade will be regular classroom assignments. These assignments are recorded on the dry erase board in the front of the classroom, color coded for each of the courses that I am teaching at the time, purple for World History, blue for U.S. History, and red for Government, etc.. In most cases, your child will have ample time to start these assignments in class, and sometimes they will be able to finish them if they work hard that day. I enjoy providing this class time for student work so that I can assist any students who require additional help. Please note that all students with an I.E.P. do receive modifications to their assignments, as well as permission to go to their special ed. teacher’s classroom during our in-class work times. One of our regular classroom assignments is called “Textbook.” This score is unusual in that it’s a backwards score, meaning each student starts the quarter at 100% for “materials.” This score is to encourage students to be prepared for class daily. Ten points will be deducted from this score each time a student doesn’t bring their social studies text to class that day. 20% of your child’s quarterly grade will be a “special project or report.” To obtain this portion of their quarterly grade, your child must do some additional work outside of the classroom. Some contests such as National History Day can count towards this 20% of their quarterly grade as well; as long as students continue to show me evidence that they are truly putting the required work into said project.. Students are also encouraged to come to me with creative ideas of alternative ways to earn this 20%, such as a short movie, a short play, a webpage, etc. that they make. All of these projects should be research based and have clearly cited sources. All special projects and reports for each quarter are due near the end of each quarter. This date varies by course. Ask your child when their date is and encourage them to finish their paper or project early to help minimize end of quarter stress. Please note that a student who turns in every regular in-class assignment and scores a 100% on them can only achieve a maximum quarterly score of a C+ if they do not attempt a special project or research paper. Your child’s score on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal will not reflect the 20% of their grade that is their special project or report. This is because the special project or report will not be entered in the grade book until they turn it in. Late work will not be accepted. There are three exceptions: excused absences, family emergency and I.E.P. modifications. In cases of family emergency, it is in the student’s best interest to inform me as soon as possible. Bad things happen sometimes. I don’t need details, I just need to know something bad happened & a realistic date when the student could get the work to me. I want this school year to be a rewarding one for your child. I want them to gain a better understanding of the world in which we live. For those students who strive for an “A” or “B” grade in one of my classes, I want them to be challenged. If you have any questions regarding this grading policy, or any other high school social studies topic, including suggestions for guest speakers, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 715-779-3201, x 404.