Class Procedures: AP US History (2010)

1. Class Procedures: AP US History (2010) Daniel W. Blackmon Coral Gables Senior High

2. Email Address • Dblackmon@dadeschools.net • Daniel.w.blackmon@gmail.com

3. General • Tests, papers, assignments, and grading will, to the greatest extent possible, imitate the AP examinations themselves.

4. General • Each student needs to do his or her part, or the class as a whole will inevitably suffer from the lack of cooperation of a few.

5. General • Work from other classes will be confiscated and destroyed. Students should be attentive and involved in the lesson at all times.

6. General • Students are expected to complete each and every assignment given during a grading period!

7. General •  All assignments given in this course are purposeful; I abhor "busy work" and I evaluate every assignment by whether or not it contributes to preparing students for the examinations.

8. General • Failure to complete an assignment will adversely affect the weekly participation grade.

9. Attendance • All school policies pertaining to excused or unsatisfactory absences will be strictly enforced!

10. Attendance • Students are reminded that a total of 10 unsatisfactory absences over the course of the entire school year may result in a final grade of "No Credit", as per School Board policy.

11. Attendance • Failure to present me with a note means an absence is automatically "Unsatisfactory".

12. Attendance • Absences • Poor attendance is the fastest way to fail this course! You are all intelligent and motivated --do not foolishly jeopardize your graduation and entrance into college by carelessness over your absences!!!!

13. Attendance • Absences • It is the student's responsibility to keep track of how many absences, satisfactory or otherwise, which he or she has.

14. Attendance • Absences • Any assignment due or written on a day when a student is unsatisfactorily absent will be counted as an "Z." No make up will be permitted.

15. Attendance • Absences • Make-up work is ENTIRELY the student's responsibility!

16. Attendance • Absences • Class notes which are not already on the class website should be obtained from another student. • .

17. Attendance • Absences • If a student is absent on the day an assignment is due or on the day an assignment is written in class, the default grade is automatically a “Z.”

18. Attendance • Absences • If the absence is satisfactory, and when the assignment is made up, then the “Z” will be changed to whatever grade is earned.

19. Attendance • Absences • Assignments due the day of an absence are due upon the student's return to class. 

20. Attendance • Absences • If a student is in school at any time during the day when an assignment is due, the student is expected to bring the assignment by before leaving school.

21. Attendance • Absences • Tests must be made up on the next make up day following a student's return to class, unless specific arrangements with me have been made in advance. 

22. Attendance • Absences • A job or extra-curricular activities are not legitimate reasons to miss a make-up day.

23. Attendance • Absences • Typically, one day per week will be designated for make-up tests after school. If you can't attend my make-up day, you must make prior special arrangements with me.

24. Attendance • Absences • Failure to make up an assignment will adversely affect the weekly participation grade.

25. Preparation • Students are expected to have read all assignments in a timely fashion.

26. Preparation • All work handed in must be in blue or black ink, or typed.  • All assignments completed at home must be typed. 

27. Preparation Work completed in pencil will not be graded at all! This is not a whim. Pencil is extremely difficult for me to read.

28. Class Rules • No gum is allowed! • I will tolerate food and / or drink so long as students clean up after themselves. • Students who write on desks will be given the opportunity to clean all of them after school.

29. Class Rules • I tolerate cell phones in class provided that they do not disturb the lesson • People call me frequently, so it would be hypocritical of me to do otherwise!

30. Class Rules • I do not want to see ipods or other MP3 players, nor do I want to discover that a student is using a calculator or cell phone to play a game.

31. Academic Grades • The Dade County grading scale is: • 4.00-3.50=A • 3.49-2.50=B • 2.49-1.50=C • 1.49-1.00=D • .99-0.00=F

32. Academic Grades • Grades will be averaged using the MDCPS grading system, with summation percentage out to two significant digits as the calculation method

33. Academic Grades • Essays and Document Based Questions will be graded on a 9 point scale. • Markband descriptors are based upon those used at the AP United States History Read.

34. Academic Grades • I have ten years’ experience as an AP Reader. • I will apply those standards to all assignments as if I were at the AP Read.

35. Academic Grades • Numeric scores for essays will converted to letter grades based on the following scale: • 9-8=A • 7-6=B • 5-4=C • 3-2=D • 1-0=F

36. Academic Grades • Numeric scores for the Internal Assessment will converted to letter grades based on the following scale: • 25-21 A • 20-17 B • 16-10 C • 9-6 D • 5-1 F

37. Academic Grades • Objective tests and quizzes are marked on the scale given below: • 100-90=A • 89-80=B • 79-70=C • 69-60=D • 59=F

38. Academic Grades • Weighting grades • The weight assigned to a grade is an indicator of the importance of the assignment.

39. Academic Grades • Weighting grades • Typically, a quiz grade is weighted as 1 (W=1) • An essay is typically weighted as 3 (W=3) • A DBQ is typically weighted as 6 (W=6)

40. Academic Grades • Weighting grades • The Research Paper will be weighted heavily: 18 for Content (W=18)

41. Academic Grades • Weighting grades • There will be a weekly participation grade weighted as 1 (W=1) given on the last day of each week • In the last analysis, this is a subjective grade. However, there are some general guidelines I use:

42. Academic Grades • Weighting grades • My default participation grade is “A.” • An unexcused absence will result in an “F” • An unexcused tardy may result in an “F”

43. Academic Grades • Weighting grades • Chronic unexcused tardies will result in an “F.” • A disciplinary issue, as indicated by a note in the grade book, will result in an “F.”

44. Academic Grades • Weighting grades • Chronic failure to complete assignments may result in a weekly participation grade of “F” for the rest of the term, or until the assignments are completed.

45. Academic Grades • The authority for all questions on form and writing style is the MLA Handbook.

46. Academic Grades • Work that is handed in late will be penalized one letter grade for each day

47. Academic Grades • Sustained, consistent improvement over the course of the year is the basis for all decisions on teacher over-ride of a grade. I have a strong preference for making such decisions only at the end of the year.

48. Rewrite Policy • I permit a student who receives a "D" or an "F" on an in-class or take-home essay or on any DBQ to re-write the assignment. • The grade on the re-write will replace the original grade. • A specific due date for re-writes will be set. Late re-writes will not be accepted.

49. Rewrite Policy • The reason I permit re-writes is to give a student the opportunity to think through an essay, do some research, to master the material and to produce a well written, thoughtful essay.

50. Rewrite Policy • In so doing, the student will learn the material better. I encourage students to avail themselves of this opportunity by replacing the grade rather than averaging.