Advanced Functions
This course is designed to bridge the gap between Algebra 2 and Trigonometry and Advanced Placement Calculus. Several of the topics introduced in Algebra 2 and Trigonometry will be re-examined in greater depth. Several topics usually reserved for calculus courses will be introduced. After successful completion of this course student should take AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC.

Students will make extensive use of the TI-84 calculator. They need to have it with them every day. They will use their laptops extensively: to access their e-books; to complete homework assignments with tutorials called "watch its"; and to take quizzes. This site will have a weekly summary of topics covered and assignments. There is no excuse for not checking what is assigned.   Absent students are expected to use this site to keep up with what's going on in class.

Advanced Functions Grading Policy

Category                 Description            Frequency              grading                   value

Homework
Problems chosen from text, WebAssign and handouts

One or two grades a week

Rubric
Or
Percent correct

25%

Quizzes

half period assessments

roughly once a
week

Percent correct

25%

Tests

full period assessments

two or three times a quarter

Percent correct

40%

Participation
active engagement during
class time

Keeps an organized notebook

pop quizzes

daily

weekly

whenever
Does student have tools required to participate when needed?

shows thought and effort

10%

There are multiple opportunities for students to obtain feedback and hone their skills in this course. The first opportunity occurs during class room instruction. Students are expected to take notes, ask questions, and participate in group activities or guided practice exercises. For these efforts they are awarded a participation grade. Everyone starts each quarter with a 100% participation grade. Keep an eye on this grade as the quarter progresses. Students lose points when they are unprepared for class and earn points buy getting a 100% on a pop-quiz. A dropping participation grade is often the first sign that things are not going well.

The second opportunity for students to obtain feedback and hone their skills is homework. On WebAssign homework students usually have three opportunities to answer each question. They are encouraged to work collaboratively on these assignments and can also get help after school. Some class time is set aside for guided practice but this time will vary. Although these assignments are scored, this grade is primarily an indication of student effort and effective study strategies. If homework grades are poor, the student needs to do something different! Students have two days to complete each assignment. Leaving the assignment to the last minute deprives the student of the opportunity to ask questions in class and/or extra help.

The third opportunity to obtain feedback occurs during weekly quizzes. These are half period formative assessments. Quizzes are returned ASAP and students are provided with an answer key and given time to discuss results and ask questions. Students are allowed to re-take a similar quiz within one week and the two grades will be averaged. If the averaged grade is below 65 and the re-take is above 65, the student will be awarded a 65. Students who are absent on the day of the quiz will also be shown the answer key of the missed quiz and will have an opportunity to makeup the missing quiz within one week. They will not be allowed to re-take the makeup quiz. Absent students have the advantage of seeing the original quiz and its answer key but to keep things fair they are only allowed one try on the quiz. There are no re-takes on makeup quizzes.

Tests are summative assessments. Here, students must demonstrate what they have learned. Performance, not feedback, is the focus and there are no re-takes on tests.   Of course, absent students are allowed to makeup missed tests within two weeks as per Board of Education policy. Tests are not returned to students until the two-week makeup window has passed.

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:41:48 GMT

Advanced Functions

This course is designed to bridge the gap between Algebra 2 and Trigonometry and Advanced Placement Calculus. Several of the topics introduced in Algebra 2 and Trigonometry will be re-examined in greater depth. Several topics usually reserved for calculus courses will be introduced. After successful completion of this course student should take AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC.

Students will make extensive use of the TI-84 calculator. They need to have it with them every day. They will use their laptops extensively: to access their e-books; to complete homework assignments with tutorials called "watch its"; and to take quizzes. This site will have a weekly summary of topics covered and assignments. There is no excuse for not checking what is assigned. Absent students are expected to use this site to keep up with what's going on in class.

Advanced Functions Grading Policy

Category Description Frequency grading value

Homework

Problems chosen from text, WebAssign and handouts

One or two grades a week

Rubric

Percent correct

25%

Quizzes

half period assessments

roughly once a

week

Percent correct

25%

Tests

full period assessments

two or three times a quarter

Percent correct

40%

Participation

active engagement during

class time

Keeps an organized notebook

pop quizzes

daily

weekly

whenever

Does student have tools required to participate when needed?

shows thought and effort

10%

There are multiple opportunities for students to obtain feedback and hone their skills in this course. The first opportunity occurs during class room instruction. Students are expected to take notes, ask questions, and participate in group activities or guided practice exercises. For these efforts they are awarded a participation grade. Everyone starts each quarter with a 100% participation grade. Keep an eye on this grade as the quarter progresses. Students lose points when they are unprepared for class and earn points buy getting a 100% on a pop-quiz. A dropping participation grade is often the first sign that things are not going well.

The second opportunity for students to obtain feedback and hone their skills is homework. On WebAssign homework students usually have three opportunities to answer each question. They are encouraged to work collaboratively on these assignments and can also get help after school. Some class time is set aside for guided practice but this time will vary. Although these assignments are scored, this grade is primarily an indication of student effort and effective study strategies. If homework grades are poor, the student needs to do something different! Students have two days to complete each assignment. Leaving the assignment to the last minute deprives the student of the opportunity to ask questions in class and/or extra help.

The third opportunity to obtain feedback occurs during weekly quizzes. These are half period formative assessments. Quizzes are returned ASAP and students are provided with an answer key and given time to discuss results and ask questions. Students are allowed to re-take a similar quiz within one week and the two grades will be averaged. If the averaged grade is below 65 and the re-take is above 65, the student will be awarded a 65. Students who are absent on the day of the quiz will also be shown the answer key of the missed quiz and will have an opportunity to makeup the missing quiz within one week. They will not be allowed to re-take the makeup quiz. Absent students have the advantage of seeing the original quiz and its answer key but to keep things fair they are only allowed one try on the quiz. There are no re-takes on makeup quizzes.

Tests are summative assessments. Here, students must demonstrate what they have learned. Performance, not feedback, is the focus and there are no re-takes on tests. Of course, absent students are allowed to makeup missed tests within two weeks as per Board of Education policy. Tests are not returned to students until the two-week makeup window has passed.

Advanced Functions Course Description and Grading Policy

Advanced Functions

Advanced Functions