2009-10

    Physics Honors - B. Philhour & A. O'Keefe

    AP Physics and AP Computer Science - B. Philhour

Summer 2009

    Summer Physics - B. Philhour

2008-09

    Physics Honors - B. Philhour, A. O'Keefe

• The mechanics of any grading system should encourage (and certainly never impede) our intrinsic desire to keep learning & bettering ourselves at all times
• While the course is still in session, students should have incentives to review & master all of the material of the course - even on the last day of the course, the student should feel that his or her successful efforts towards mastering the material will be rewarded with a high grade; in other words, the 'A' grade should never be out of reach, even on the last day (at the final exam)
  

• Students, counselors, and parents should have regular (weekly) access to an online 'quick look' at their predicted grade and scores, and be encouraged to report mistakes
  

• Students should find the grading system easy to understand and use
• Students should trust that the grading system will reward them with high grades if they learn and/or master the material
• The system should promote & allow for revision 
  

• Teachers should be able to enter marks quickly and perform quick, informative data analysis; if a certain unit requires reteaching or retesting, it should become obvious quickly so that the teacher has time to react & plan
  

• The term 'grade' should be used to refer to the overall letter grade provided at the end of the quarter or semester.
• The term 'score' refers to assessments of understanding received during the semester based on evidence such as homework assignments, quizzes, exams, laboratories, etc.
• To make the distinction clear, scores will be offered as numbers (4.0, 3.5, etc.) while grades will be offered as letters (A, B, etc.)
• The "A" (4.0) grade
  • The "A" grade denotes student mastery of most of the course outcomes specified in the course curriculum
  • "A" grades go to students who have demonstrated achievement above and beyond the expectations of the course
  • The "A" student is strongly encouraged to pursue further study in the discipline 
  • "A" students demonstrate the ability to formulate new ideas in the subject (appropriate to the level of depth of the course)
  • "A" students are able to tackle new problems they have never seen before, relying on their mastery of the underlying concepts
  • Any student who demonstrates mastery on the course final exam ("Step 4" -- see below) will receive an A in the course - It is never too late to achieve the course outcomes.
• The "B" (3.0) grade
  • The "B" grade denotes student proficiency in the majority of the course outcomes specified in the course curriculum; the student will often have mastered some of the course outcomes but, at the same time, might not necessarily have achieved proficiency in a few of them
  • The "B" student is well prepared to pursue further study in the discipline
  • "B" students are adept at solving problems of a type they have seen before; however, these students will sometimes struggle with new problems they have never seen before, but which rely on mastery of the same underlying concepts
  • The goal of the teacher and the student should be a B grade or higher (see note below)
• The "C" (2.0) grade 
  • The "C" grade denotes student proficiency (or, sometimes, mastery) in many, but not the majority, of the course outcomes specified in the course curriculum
  • The "C" student should devote him or herself to engaging in extra preparation in some (but not all) of the course topics in order to gain proficiency or mastery in future studies in the discipline
  • "C" students are familiar with most of the material specified in the course outcomes, but struggle with solving problems, even (sometimes) those of a type they have seen before
  • Moving students upward from the "C" grade into the "B" or "A" grade should be of primary importance: the route to this is true student proficiency in the course outcomes, not "moving paper" or otherwise completing tasks that do not demonstrate proficiency
  • A student who receives a score less than 2.0 on any assignment is required to have a teacher or TA 'sign off' on submitted corrections to ensure that some tutoring has taken place
  • The "C" grade is the minimum expectation of our school, but typically is not the minimum expectation of ourselves or our students 
• The "D" (1.0) grade
  • The "D" grade denotes a lack of student proficiency in most of the course outcomes specified in the course curriculum
  • The "D" student is not recommended for further study in the discipline without remediation or repetition of the coursework; however, during remediation and repetition of the course, the "D" student will find it easier to move up to higher levels of proficiency than the first time around
  • "D" students are not familiar with most of the course outcomes, often struggling with relatively basic definitions, problems, or concepts 
  • The student, teacher, counselor, resource providers, and parents should receive regular notice (Course Progress Reports & quarter/semester reports) of the student's grade
    
  • A student who receives a score less than 2.0 on any assignment is required to have a teacher or TA 'sign off' on submitted corrections to ensure that some tutoring has taken place
• The "F" (0.0) grade
  • The "F" grade is reserved for students who have not demonstrated significant engagement with - or progress towards - achieving the course outcomes
  • A student who receives an "F" grade typically has academic problems that go beyond the subject or discipline
  • The teacher, counselor, parents, etc., should form a plan of action or other intervention for the student that reflects the seriousness of the grade
• The goal for the instructor and students should be that everyone earn a 3.0 score or higher; to the extent that this impacts "grade inflation" or standards, we should adjust the curriculum but not the goal of achieving proficiency/mastery for all students for a given (well-designed) curriculum. In other words, first decide on what constitutes mastery, proficiency, etc., then hold students to those standards, even if it means a set of very high or very low grades; then, adjust the curriculum as needed for the next year so that it provides a healthy & successful learning experience for students; this is an iterative process.
• The complete grade table looks like this -- note that we round to two decimal places:

• Score	Grade
  3.95 - 4.00	A+
  3.70 - 3.94	A
  3.50 - 3.69	A-
  3.30 - 3.49	B+
  2.70 - 3.29	B
  2.50 - 2.69	B-
  2.30 - 2.49	C+
  1.70 - 2.29	C
  1.50 - 1.69	C-
  0.50 - 1.49	D
  0.00 - 0.49	F

• Ideally, student achievement of each curricular outcome will be assessed at least four times - each assessment is referred to as a 'step'.
  
• A "step" system allows and accounts for evolution over time in student understanding & ability to by acting to reward students for improving their level of mastery of the course outcomes
  
• The higher the step, the more formal and comprehensive the assessment, but the fewer there are:

• Step 1: relatively minor activities such as reading, problem & worksheet assignments; exam and quiz corrections (typically a half-dozen or more per unit)
  
• Step 2: quizzes; activities; laboratory write-ups; tutorial quizzes (typically two to four per unit)

• Step 3: unit exams; major projects & laboratory write-ups (typically one or two per unit)
• Step 4: final exams (typically one per unit)
• Students are required to submit corrections for all Step 2 and Step 3 assessments if the mark is below 4.0; if the mark is below 2.0, the corrections must be signed by a teacher or TA indicating that the student worked with a mentor to better understand the material
• A grade for a unit will be based on an average of the marks for each of the four steps with the important caveats that (a) a proficiency score (3.0 or higher) on a Step 3 or Step 4 assessment will set a lower limit of 3.0 for the unit score and (b) a mastery score (4.0 or higher) on a Step 3 or Step 4 assessment will set a lower limit of 4.0 for the unit score. Note that achieving a mastery (4.0) score on the Step 3 assessment locks the grade for that unit, and the student is exempt from the Step 4 assessment for that unit. A similar lower limit is added for scores of 3.5 or higher (the new lower limit would then be 3.5).
• Overall grade in the class will consist of a weighted average of the individual grades for each unit; units are weighted according to how many steps have been completed by the time the grade is determined (for semester grades, all units should be at 4th step and equally weighted, but sometimes at the quarter grade not all units have been completed and some must be weighted more than others)
• For students in Physics Honors, AP Computer Science, or AP Physics who are taking the AP Physics exam at the end of the year, the 4th step in the second semester is a practice AP exam. Assuming all Step 2 or higher assignments are completed, the Step 4 exam can lock the grade as follows: a proficiency score (3) locks the grade to a B or higher; a mastery score (4) locks the grade to an A- or higher; a high-mastery score (5) locks the grade to an A+ or higher.  (This counts for the practice Mech exam at the end of the 1st semester (for AP Physics students) and for the practice Mech exam (and/or E&M exam, depending on qualification) at the end of the 2nd semester; also this counts for the AP Physics B exam for honors physics students in the 2nd semester, and the AP Computer Science A practice exam at the end of the 2nd semester)

Step 1 Assessments

 

• The first Step assesses student engagement in the process of becoming educated.
• Step 1 activities are typically the first encounter a student has with a new idea
• The mark for Step 1 will be based on completion & promptness (50% / 50%) on a 4-point scale.
• Because the grade for a unit can be locked at Step 3 and/or Step 4, the Step 1 mark is probationary and may be overridden later
• Assessments that will fall under Step 1 include:
  • Reading assignments
  • Problem sets
  • In-class worksheets
  • Take-home worksheets
  • AP Physics: most MasteringPhysics activities (note that a passing score is required for 'completion')
  • AP Computer Science: most JavaBat activities
  • Some minor activities (such as one-page laboratories or worksheets)
  • Corrections for returned quizzes (Step 2) with scores beneath 3.0
  • Corrections for returned exams (Step 3) with scores beneath 4.0
  • Engagement & demeanor in class
  • Attendance & absorption of lecture & other in-class material
    
  • Collaborative performance in group activities
  • Progress towards achievement of the school ESLRs (that a student be intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving, and a leader in collaboration)
    

Step 2 Assessments

 

• The second Step constitutes the first formal evaluation of the student's progress towards achieving the course outcomes.
• The score for Step 2 will be based on performance on a 4-point scale.
• Because the grade for a unit can be locked at Step 3 and/or Step 4, the Step 2 mark is probationary and may be overridden later
• Assessments that will fall under Step 2 include: 
  • In-class quizzes (Students do not need to perform quiz corrections if they score 3.0 or higher on the quiz.)
  • Some minor activities (such as one-page laboratories)
  • Typical laboratory activities that involve a student write-up
  • AP Physics: some MasteringPhysics activities
  • AP Computer Science: some programming projects
    

• If more than one Step 2 assessment is made for a unit, the scores will simply average.

 

 

Step 3 Assessments

 

• The third Step constitutes an important, and potentially final, formal evaluation of the student's progress towards achieving the course outcomes
• The mark for Step 3 will be based on performance on a 4-point scale.
• Because the grade for a unit can be locked at Step 4, the Step 3 mark may be overridden at the final exam
• A proficiency score (3.0 or higher) on a Step 3 assessment will set a lower limit of 3.0 for the unit score. (See caveat in final bullet point below)
• A score on the boundary of proficiency & mastery (3.5 or higher) on a Step 3 assessment will set a lower limit of 3.5 for the unit score. (See caveat in final bullet point below)
• A mastery score (4.0 or higher) on a Step 3 assessment will set a lower limit of 4.0 for the unit score. The student is exempt from the Step 4 assessment for that unit. (See caveat in final bullet point below)
• Assessments that will fall under Step 3 include:
  • In-class exams (Students do not need to perform exam corrections if they score 4.0 on the exam.)
  • Major projects (such as the Sterling Engine Project, Nuclear War Project, AP Computer Science Programming Project, etc.)
• If more than one Step 3 assessment is made for a unit, the scores will simply average. The average of these scores is used to determine the lower limits above. In other words, to be exempt from a Step 4 assessment in a unit you need to score a 4.0 on ALL the Step 3 assessments in that unit, if there is more than one.

   

 

Step 4 Assessments

 

• The fourth Step constitutes the final formal evaluation of the student's progress towards achieving the course outcomes.
• The mark for Step 4 will be based on performance on a 4-point scale
• A proficiency score (3.0 or higher) on a Step 4 assessment will set a lower limit of 3.0 for the unit score.
• A score on the boundary of proficiency & mastery (3.5 or higher) on a Step 3 assessment will set a lower limit of 3.5 for the unit score.
• A mastery score (4.0 or higher) on a Step 4 assessment will set a lower limit of 4.0 for the unit score. 
• Assessments that will fall under Step 4 include:

  • Final exams offered at the end of each quarter

  • Other assessments of profound significance (AP exams, etc.)

• If more than one Step 4 assessment is made for a unit, the scores will simply average

• On a regular basis, the instructor will meet with small groups of students for in-person questioning & tutoring. It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that the tutorial session involves at least two students. (There are two reasons for this: one, it makes better use of the teacher's time; two, in looking for a second student the first student might find somebody who they can work with regularly.)
• Students will approach the teacher with a set of curricular items they wish to test (or re-test); the instructor will invent a spontaneous set of questions for the students to work through verbally, on paper, and in dialog with each other and the instructor. 
• The instructor will briefly fill out a student-provided grade sheet (here are versions in .doc and .pdf formats) to be scored by the teacher (on a 4.0 scale)
• The score is entered in as a Step 1 or Step 2 assessment (judgment of the instructor)
  
• Some tutorial sessions will be conducted in-class and some will be conducted out-of-class.
• It is the students responsibility to:
  
• schedule at least one tutorial per quarter during the posted tutorial sessions
• bring a filled-out-tutorial sheet that includes the curricular item(s) to be assessed
• organize a small group of students to come to the tutorial at the same time (3 or 4 students is ideal, 2 is minimum)
• Tutorial sessions are available during teacher office hours. For Physics Honors: any physics honors teacher is available for a tutorial session.
• Tutorial sessions can be completed with the help of an official TA; however, scores from these must be entered in as a Step 1 assessment. Furthermore, the student can work one-on-one with the TA rather than in a group of two or more.