Items Necessary for Class

 Textbook (Holt Algebra 2, 2007 edition)
 Pencils, erasers, and marking pens and/or colored pencils
 Loose-leaf notebook paper
 Graphing calculator (see next item in syllabus for details)
 Data notebook (a 1½” or bigger 3-ring binder) with dividers

TI-84 (Plus or Silver Edition) Recommended

A Texas Instrument TI-83 or a TI-84 graphing calculator will be essential for success in this course, and you are encouraged to purchase your own TI-83 or TI-84 graphing calculator at a cost of $100 - $130. If you are unable to purchase your own, there is a classroom set of TI-84 graphing calculators available for students to borrow in class or in study hall. Please contact Mrs. Maite if you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of graphing calculators for this class.
 

Documentation of Progress

All students are expected to create a data notebook which will be used daily as a tool for reflection, documenting learning and tracking progress toward mastering course objectives. The 3-ring notebook should be have at least 1½-inch diameter rings and include at least 8 dividers.
 

When you are absent or when class is interrupted, you are responsible for completing the missed objectives scheduled for that day. You should independently study the material and complete the developmental activities for the objective. You will have to document the actions you take to get caught up. According to school policy, you have as many extra days as you were absent to get caught up. If you are absent only on a test day, you will be expected to make-up the test the day you return.
 

Grades Only Reflect Mastery of Content

Grades will be posted on Progress Book, updated every week, and calculated according to the category weights below:

100% Mastery Work
(Quizzes, Tests, and/or Projects)

0% Developmental Work Habits, but still evaluated!
(Daily Class Procedures and Data Notebook)

Grading Scale
A: 93 – 100
A-: 90 – 92
B+: 87 – 89
B: 83 - 86
B-: 80 - 82
C+: 77 - 79
C: 73 – 77
C-: 70 - 72
IP: In Progress
 

School Without Failure Pilot Project

This class is participating in the School Without Failure (SWF) pilot project this year, which essentially means any student who is not performing at a proficient C or higher level will be required to keep working on those skills until a proficient C or higher level of achievement is attained. Students whose learning is deemed in progress will be required to attend intercessions at one or more of the following times: during their lunch period, during a study hall, or before or after school. These students will be re-tested on specific objectives to have multiple opportunities to achieve mastery of the material.

Rubric Grading System

To help students develop a consistent and internal sense of achievement in their work, all assessment questions will be evaluated using the
4-Point Rubric. A rubric score will be tallied for the assessment and converted to an A, B, C, or IP rating according to the Rubric-to-Points Conversion Scale. These levels of achievement are also similar to reporting systems for many standardized tests that students are required to take.
 

Class Expectations

Algebra 2 is a lab in which problems are solved in the same ways that mathematicians and other professionals who use mathematics solve problems. Therefore, you will be expected to act like a professional:

 Be prompt.
 Be prepared.
 Be a polite and positive participant.
 Be productive.

Students are expected to follow school rules and dress codes as stated in the student handbook, but the most important rule of all is:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. If you break this rule on any given day, for the first offense you will be given a warning; for the second offense (in the same period) you will be required to meet with me on your own time (before or after school, or lunch) to discuss your behavior, also a log of your behavior will be created; for the third offense you will spend 15 minutes of your time cleaning overheads or the classroom; a fourth offense will result in additional cleaning, formal detention, and/or removal from the classroom. Behavior that is extremely disrespectful may result in immediate detention or removal from the classroom.