CORE Classes Win-Win Agreement
Goal: The goals of these classes are to help students master grade level skills as determined by the Utah State Standards.
Grading: The purpose of grading is to communicate the achievement and mastery of specific learning goals. It identifies students’ levels of progress with regard to those goals, areas of strength, and areas where additional time and effort are needed.
Our Junior High Core classes have a Mastery-Based Grading policy. That means that your grade is based on whether or not you meet particular learning goals or “standards” that are based on the Utah Core Curriculum. Those learning goals will differ from class to class, but will be clearly communicated. All evaluation scores will be converted into a 4-point scale. What do the numbers mean?
4- Mastery: You have gone above what the standard has asked you to do, application
3-Proficient: You have done what the standard has asked you to do, knowledge
2-Approaching Proficiency: You are almost there! You have done most of what the standard has asked but are missing a part.
1-Below Proficiency: We still have some work to do. You haven’t done what the standard has asked.
What are Evaluations?
Evaluations can include paper/pencil tests, reports, essays, projects, presentations, quizzes, and even a conversation where you clearly show the teacher that you understand and are proficient in a standard. Don’t worry! You will have a lot of practice before evaluations and will be able to retake them as needed.
How do I get help?
This year we will be adding in RISE Time-which stands for Recovery, Intervention, Success, and Enrichment. This will be a time where you will have the opportunity to either spend time with teachers in classes in which you are struggling to increase your ability level, or spend some time serving others or working on balance. If you earn below a 3 on any evaluation, it will be shown in Aspire as an “R”. And you will be able to go to RISE time with the corresponding teacher. You will work on a re-teaching assignment, get some support, and then have the opportunity to retake the evaluation.
New Grading Scale
A
88.0 – 100
B
75.0 – 87.9
C
59.0 – 74.9
D
38.0 – 58.9
F
0 – 37.9
Grading Breakdown:
70% of your grade will be based off of evaluations
30% of your grade will be based off of other parts of class (Notebooks, Labs, Projects, etc.)
*Homework: You can still expect to receive homework in addition to reading. Homework will largely be practice, meaning that some of it will not be graded. Does that mean that you don’t have to do it? No. It’s practice to be able to increase your proficiency in a given standard.
How to be Successful
Come to class, on time, every day! Come with the following things:
Citizenship Scale:
Honors (H) = 90-100 citizenship points Needs Improvement (N) = 65-74 points
Satisfactory (S) = 75-89 points Unsatisfactory (U) = 64 points and below.
All students start with 85 points (Satisfactory). Students can earn and/or lose points based on their participation, on/off task behavior during class, how they interact with others in the class.
Electronic Devices:
Occasionally, we may utilize the availability of smart phones/tablets etc. in class for assignments. Unless explicitly given permission, you may NOT use your electronic devices in class during instructional time. Generally, if we see them, we will TAKE them. On the 1st offense, we will keep the item until the end of the day. On the 2nd offense, we will turn it into the office and your parent will have to pick it up (per ELA’s policy).
Remind:
As a Junior High we will be using Remind, a free classroom communication device for parents and students. It will allow us to communicate more effectively and keep everyone in the loop. Please keep an eye out for the codes and links from your teachers!
We look forward to an amazing year learning with all of you!
Sincerely,
The Core Team
Mr. Bennett Mr. Worthley Ms. Cordero Mr. Stone Ms. Lynn
Mr. Johnson Ms. Sanford Ms. Turley Mr. Gowers
Goal: The goals of these classes are to help students master grade level skills as determined by the Utah State Standards.
Grading: The purpose of grading is to communicate the achievement and mastery of specific learning goals. It identifies students’ levels of progress with regard to those goals, areas of strength, and areas where additional time and effort are needed.
Our Junior High Core classes have a Mastery-Based Grading policy. That means that your grade is based on whether or not you meet particular learning goals or “standards” that are based on the Utah Core Curriculum. Those learning goals will differ from class to class, but will be clearly communicated. All evaluation scores will be converted into a 4-point scale. What do the numbers mean?
4- Mastery: You have gone above what the standard has asked you to do, application
3-Proficient: You have done what the standard has asked you to do, knowledge
2-Approaching Proficiency: You are almost there! You have done most of what the standard has asked but are missing a part.
1-Below Proficiency: We still have some work to do. You haven’t done what the standard has asked.
What are Evaluations?
Evaluations can include paper/pencil tests, reports, essays, projects, presentations, quizzes, and even a conversation where you clearly show the teacher that you understand and are proficient in a standard. Don’t worry! You will have a lot of practice before evaluations and will be able to retake them as needed.
How do I get help?
This year we will be adding in RISE Time-which stands for Recovery, Intervention, Success, and Enrichment. This will be a time where you will have the opportunity to either spend time with teachers in classes in which you are struggling to increase your ability level, or spend some time serving others or working on balance. If you earn below a 3 on any evaluation, it will be shown in Aspire as an “R”. And you will be able to go to RISE time with the corresponding teacher. You will work on a re-teaching assignment, get some support, and then have the opportunity to retake the evaluation.
New Grading Scale
A
88.0 – 100
B
75.0 – 87.9
C
59.0 – 74.9
D
38.0 – 58.9
F
0 – 37.9
Grading Breakdown:
70% of your grade will be based off of evaluations
30% of your grade will be based off of other parts of class (Notebooks, Labs, Projects, etc.)
*Homework: You can still expect to receive homework in addition to reading. Homework will largely be practice, meaning that some of it will not be graded. Does that mean that you don’t have to do it? No. It’s practice to be able to increase your proficiency in a given standard.
How to be Successful
Come to class, on time, every day! Come with the following things:
- A great attitude and a mindset ready to learn
- A pencil, pen, or appropriate writing utensil.
- Your docket with labeled sections
- Plenty of paper (lined or graph as appropriate)
- Planner for academic organization & hall passes (provided by ELA)
- Supplies pouch (most supplies on the junior high supply list are needed regularly, including dry erase markers, rulers, colored pencils, etc.)
- Any assignments finished at home
Citizenship Scale:
Honors (H) = 90-100 citizenship points Needs Improvement (N) = 65-74 points
Satisfactory (S) = 75-89 points Unsatisfactory (U) = 64 points and below.
All students start with 85 points (Satisfactory). Students can earn and/or lose points based on their participation, on/off task behavior during class, how they interact with others in the class.
Electronic Devices:
Occasionally, we may utilize the availability of smart phones/tablets etc. in class for assignments. Unless explicitly given permission, you may NOT use your electronic devices in class during instructional time. Generally, if we see them, we will TAKE them. On the 1st offense, we will keep the item until the end of the day. On the 2nd offense, we will turn it into the office and your parent will have to pick it up (per ELA’s policy).
Remind:
As a Junior High we will be using Remind, a free classroom communication device for parents and students. It will allow us to communicate more effectively and keep everyone in the loop. Please keep an eye out for the codes and links from your teachers!
We look forward to an amazing year learning with all of you!
Sincerely,
The Core Team
Mr. Bennett Mr. Worthley Ms. Cordero Mr. Stone Ms. Lynn
Mr. Johnson Ms. Sanford Ms. Turley Mr. Gowers