GradingPolicy MattRasmussen EPSY485 Thecourseforthisgradingpolicywouldbeanupperlevelphysicsclass,notnecessarilyAP,but similarlypaced.ThefirstsemesterwouldcoveringclassicalmechanicsNewtonslawsof motionandkinematics,workandenergy,andlittlebitofrotationwouldbethemajorcomponents ofthatsemester.ThesecondsemesterwouldfocusonElectricity,Magnetism, electromagnetism,somephysicsofcircuits,andsomesimplequantummechanicsandlight phenomena.Eachoneofthesesectionswouldhaveatleastonelabassociatedwithit,aswell asasummativeassessment. Forgradingsuchaclass,Iwouldemphasizebothsummativeassessmentslikeexamsand practicallabworkastheprimarymeansofdemonstratingstudentknowledge.WhileIplanon offeringstudentsplentyofpracticefordevelopingknowledge,whatreallymatterstomeinthe classishowtheyapplythatknowledgeinparticularsituations.

Mymainexpectationsofstudentswillbetocompleteinclassassignments,astheywillbethe studentsbestopportunitytopracticetheconceptsoftheclassandbecomefamiliarwiththem. Whenworkingonexamplesandproblemsinclassisthetimetobemakingmistakesandasking questions,inordertobebetterpreparedforassessments. Thepurposeofthispolicywouldbetoencouragestudentstoworktogethertobuildtheir knowledge,buttheyarelargelyassessedonwhattheyknowindividually. Broadlyspeaking,therearethreethingsthatstudentswillbedoingintheclassroompractice workandlabstobuildandapplyknowledgeattheirownpace,andthenassessmentsto demonstratethatknowledge. Thepracticeworkwouldcountforagrade,butmoreasacompletiongraderatherthana correctnessitsnotasimportanttomethatitscorrectasitisforthestudentstouseitasa gaugeofhowwelltheyreunderstandingthematerialoftheclass,andwhataspectstheycould standtoimprove. Asthepartsoftheclasswherestudentsreallygettoapplywhattheyvelearned,labworkand summativeexamswillbealargepartofstudentsgrades.Iwouldweighthemequally,asthey arebothveryimportantpartsoftheclass,andneitherisabetterdemonstratorofstudent knowledgethantheother. Asweightedpercentages,practiceworkwouldmakeup20%ofastudentsgrade,andthenlabs andexamswouldeachmake40% Forgatheringfeedbackforstudentsandmyownimprovement,bellringerquestionsserveasas awayforstudentstodemonstrateknowledgewithoutbeingashighstakesasthesummative examsituation.

Attendance,tardiness,oralparticipation, attitude,etc.wouldnotbeexplicitlyagradegiven tostudents,butitwouldbereflectiveinthegradetheyreceiveforpracticework,asthats

thesituationwherethosefactorswillcomeintoplaymostoften.OnsomelevelIdontwant tomakeaportionofstudentsgradestobeshowingup,butiftheyareinclassand practicingtheskillsandconceptsthatarenecessaryfortheclass,Ithinkthattheirgrade shouldreflectthat.