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One measure of success, perhaps unfortunately, is your grade. A grade is an inadequate way to measure achievement, but a fairly realistic way to measure performance. Indeed, your performance is always being evaluated by someone or other: a parent, a friend, an employer, or even a casual observer. A teacher simply takes this evaluation a step further and puts a grade on it.

I will measure and grade your performance based on four things: DILIGENCE, KNOWLEDGE, COLLABORATION, and CLEVERNESS. (All academic grades are probably based on the same criteria, whether the grader admits it or not.) Note that only "cleverness" has anything to do with the relative size of your brain, so a grade will not necessarily measure how smart you are.

Everyone must have a notebook that will be devoted exclusively to classwork for this class. Don't worry about filling it up; we will. (Homework should be done on paper from another source.) You must always bring this notebook to class, along with a pencil or pen and a graphing calculator. When class begins, your notebook, pencil, and calculator should be on your desk, ready for action. Nothing else should be on your desk while you are in this class. We may occasionally refer to the textbook in class, but most of the time we will just be using the notebook. Sometimes you will copy what I write on the board; sometimes you will work problems alone; sometimes you will work in groups. Whatever we do, however, you will keep a record of it in the notebook.

Your notebook will not be collected, but it will probably be a source of some of your best PORTFOLIO items (see below). Meanwhile, I will be evaluating how well you and your classmates work together through personal observation over the course of the semester. How well do you work together with others in groups? (This is the "collaboration" part.) How involved are you in class discussions? How well can you ask a question when you don't understand, and how well can you explain it to others when you do understand? Do you come for extra help when you need it? Does your attitude help the class or hinder it? Based on these criteria I will arrive at a subjective opinion of the class's overall quality, which will determine how grades are curved for your class. (See TESTS below for more on the curve.)

There will be a short homework assignment almost every night. You must do mathematics in order to understand it, so doing these assignments is essential. This is also the main opportunity I will have in my grading scheme to reward DILIGENCE, so students who feel that they might be lacking in the cleverness category should be especially attentive to homework.

The distinction between these two steps, while subtle, is probably the key to success in my class. There are no restrictions whatsoever on how you accomplish the first of these two steps! If you know how to do the problem, fine. Do it. If you do not know how to do the problem then you are at step 1, and I encourage you to get help wherever you can find it. Read the book. Check your notebook. Talk to a classmate. See me for extra help. Ask your mother. Call the homework hotline. Pay a tutor. Different people have different learning styles, and what works for someone else might not work for you. On the other hand, it is your education, and you need to find something that works. Collaboration is GOOD FOR YOU, as long as it is in step 1.

Now, once you have learned how to do the problem -- this is very important -- you are at step 2, which you must do on your own! That is the performance part, and remember: that is the part that I am grading. If you COPY somebody else's homework, then you are (a) cheating for a grade, and (b) defeating the whole learning system by proceeding to step 2 without ever having confronted step 1. The extent of such cheating is even greater when one considers that it is precisely the diligence of another student that is being stolen, and diligence is what I am intending to reward. I want very much to encourage you to work together to understand the material, but you will never understand it unless you do the mathematics on your own when it comes time to do it.

In a similar vein, you are avoiding step 1 if you simply copy an answer from the back of the book. Checking those answers is a good idea, but only insofar as it helps you to learn how to do the problem. (If your answer agrees, it is usually a good sign that you can do the problem.) BE SURE TO SHOW YOUR WORK, and be aware that the answer in the back of the book is not always right!

When you write up your homework, do it on standard 11" paper (like this sheet), and keep in mind that it is a document by which you will be judged. Write legibly, spell words correctly, and make your steps clear. Don't reinforce any bad habits that might lead you to sign your name to shoddy work some day when the stakes are higher. Fold the paper vertically, and with the crease on your left (like a book), put your name on the outside of the sheet.

Homework is due at the beginning of class. Late homework will be accepted up to the end of the school day, but with a one-point penalty to the grade. If you do not hand in the assignment by the end of the school day, you will be required to come to Extra Help until the assignment is turned in. Note that the school-imposed penalty for missing a required Extra Help session is the same as the penalty for missing a class. Homework missed due to an excused absence can be handed in at no penalty, with a grace period of one day for each day of excused absence. Please note that KEEPING TRACK OF HOMEWORKS MISSED DUE TO ABSENCES WILL BE THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY.

On most occasions, I will grade one student's paper and then have that student grade the rest of the papers according to that key. Grades will be on a 10-point scale with increments of .5. Students should take this grading responsibility seriously. Remember that this is the best chance for diligence to shine in my grading system, and laziness must not be rewarded. Partial credit may be awarded as the grader sees fit, just so long as it is fair to all.

There will be four major tests, on dates announced at the beginning of each semester. These will be designed primarily to test KNOWLEDGE, although cleverness is certainly useful, and diligence will have played a strong role in how much knowledge was accumulated prior to the test. Tests will be "fair" -- in the sense that, if you know the material, you will do well on the test. My intent is not to fool you, nor to determine how clever you are; my intent on major tests is to find out what you know. I give partial credit, so be sure to show all work. Pencil is preferable to pen, as pencil mistakes can be neatly erased.

If you have an excused absence on the day of a test, you must be prepared to take the test during our first class period after you return. If you are absent for an extended period, we will work out a schedule for making up work when you return.

Because major tests assess KNOWLEDGE, the grades will be curved to reflect how much material the class has actually absorbed. A 90 on an easy test could actually reflect less knowledge than an 80 on a more demanding test, so curving to a subjective "class average" compensates for that. The better the class, the higher the class average; the higher the class average, the juicier the curve (and, of course, the more challenging the tests I can construct). Students who struggle in a class that is challenged can expect more benefit from my curve than students who are comfortable in a class that is coasting! In terms of KNOWLEDGE, the students in the better class are better off than the students in the marshmallow class.

There is consequently an important group component to each of my math classes. Each individual's performance is obviously significant, but the "class average" is based on how the class as a whole is doing. Is the class being dragged down by its lowest components, or being elevated by its highest components? Does the class work well together mathematically, or do some students resist work to the point of impeding the efforts of others? Does the class welcome challenges, or seek the path of least resistance? Am I the coach, or am I the enemy? Is it me against you or US against ignorance? The class as a whole must make those decisions somehow.

One valid criticism of traditional classroom assessments is that the students themselves have no significant input in determining what will be assessed. Essentially, teachers create the hoops for students to jump through, and students must hope that the hoops will match up well with what they have learned and how they can best communicate it. Portfolio assessment is an attempt to empower the student in his or her own assessment process. There will therefore be a portfolio grade, equal to a major test grade, based on a portfolio of work by which you would like to be judged. Here is how it will work.

Each semester you must produce several pieces of your own work which you believe describe (positively) your development in this course. These could be based on tests, quizzes, homework, notebook entries, experiences outside of class, or your own feelings. They could take the form of reflective essays, poems, artistic works, or whatever. The important thing is that each portfolio entry should give me evidence of your learning that I otherwise would not have. A perfect quiz, while certainly good evidence of your learning, is not a good portfolio item -- because it is evidence that already resides in my grade book. A bad quiz could be a great portfolio item if it is accompanied by a reflective essay on why you did badly, with some proof that you subsequently mastered the material you did not know at the time. I would be glad to discuss any item with you before it goes into the portfolio. (This will provide an occasion for you to explain your selection to me, and for me to react to your choice in your presence.) Portfolio grades will not be factored in at midterm, but you ought to have at least one item in the portfolio by that time. You will need a minimum of THREE items each semester.

Since the intent of the portfolio is to communicate your learning to me in ways that go beyond what my gradebook already tells me, my assumption will be that the portfolio can only HELP your average, and it will be graded accordingly. However, if your portfolio is incomplete, missing, or carelessly shoddy, then your HOMEWORK average will be reduced by up to 10 points for showing lack of diligence.

Quizzes (which occur at the end of each week) differ from tests in three important ways: (1) they are shorter -- usually ten problems; (2) they usually concentrate on only a week's material; and (3) they are intended to reward both knowledge and cleverness. This last point is significant philosophically, as it means that quiz questions are not necessarily fair assessments of what a student knows. Knowing the material does not guarantee success (although not knowing the material will probably guarantee a lack of success). Quiz questions will often require extra thought or insight. On QUIZZES, such comments as "You tried to trick us!" or "You never showed us anything like that!" or "How do you expect us to answer this if nobody gets it right?" are all irrelevant. What matters is that the question has an answer. If only two students get a quiz question right, don't blame the question; instead, try to be one of those two students next time!

There will be occasional "partner quizzes" during the year to assess your performance in a collaborative setting. Partners will be randomly assigned, and both students in the pair will receive the same score. (Tests will never be collaborative.)

The semester exam will be designed to assess KNOWLEDGE, just like the major tests. The first part of the exam, intended to help you review, will be taken during the last week of classes and will count 30% of your exam grade. You can use your book and your notes on this part, and you will be working with a partner. The second part will be taken solo at the scheduled exam time and will count 70% of your exam grade. Both parts of the exam will cover the material from the entire semester. Your exam will be curved to the class average, just like major tests, so it is particularly important that the class try to end the semester leaving a strong impression.

I can teach you this material. You, however, have to give me the chance to teach it to you. For that reason, your involvement in the class must be total and undivided, and I want you to pin me down with questions when you are confused. If you are not paying attention, you are hurting yourself. If you are distracting others, you are hurting them. If you are distracting me, then you are hurting everybody, and all these distractions affect the class average -- which is the key to the curve. Your attitude can actually raise or lower everyone's grade by affecting the curve, and I want you all to FEEL that responsibility for each other's welfare. My grading process, my teaching style, and my entire educational philosophy are based on the premise that learning is a GROUP EFFORT. Colleges and universities owe their very existence to that fundamental premise. Consequently, I consider all incidents of bad classroom behavior to be acts of selfishness more than anything else. Think carefully about the effect you have on the learning of others.

If you ever find yourself falling behind, get extra help! I am available every day at the designated "help" times, plus many other times as well, provided we can schedule each other. It does not even have to be me. FIND A CLASSMATE AND WORK TOGETHER! If neither one of you can understand something, then you can BOTH come to me and we'll help twice as many people. Remember that the morning help sessions are often crowded, but they are usually crowded with people looking for answers to the same questions. Use this situation to your advantage by working with your classmates instead of waiting for one-on-one attention from me.

When you come to Extra Help, sign in on the chalkboard next to the door. This gives me a record of who was there and will help me determine who is "next in line" for help. Remember that you are required to attend Extra Help if you fail to hand in a homework assignment on the day that it is due, and that the requirement will remain in effect until the assignment is turned in.

Don't be absent. It's much easier to be here than to catch up after you have not been here. If you do get sick, leave space in your notebook for each day missed and fill in the gaps when you return. Feel free to call me (266-1077) for assignments; remember that missed homeworks MUST be made up, as they are graded and have slots in my gradebook.

You can also find homework assignments and the current semester's schedule on my class web page: http://mail.baylorschool.org/~dkennedy/classes. I try to keep it up-to-date, but if you find me getting behind I would be grateful if you would give me a gentle reminder.