Grading:

          I feel that a percentage-based grading plan is most appropriate for the creative, alternative assessments, which I plan to implement in my classroom. Grading creative projects on a point scale would be both unfair to the students and tedious to distinguish which projects achieve a point for what. Because these assessments are based on creativity (and students are all unique and will do unique things to complete these projects), a percentage-based grade, I feel, “levels the playing field”.

          This grading plan will be explained to students the first day of class and will also be documented on the syllabus. Since the majority of other classes use a point-based scale, it will be explained to students clearly by discussing and perhaps even doing a few math problems on the board as examples. One such example: if a student receives a 90% on the student-made test worth 30% of their grade, 27% of their final grade came from that test. A syllabus with a detailed section (with examples) will be handed out the first day of school for students to take home and share with parents.

Make-up Work:

          My policy for makeup work will be that students have three days (where day one starts the second day that they back, when they’ve had a chance to collect assignments) to turn in all make-up work. Weekends will count for these “three days”. When assignments are handed out, I will write the student’s name and the current date on the sheet. These assignments will be kept in a folder in the room for students to retrieve during homeroom period of before or after class. I will have a sheet on the wall near this folder explaining when the assignments are due based on the day the student returns to school, which I will make note of in my seating chart. The chart will look as follows:

           I will check the “day returned to school” students write with the day I mark on my seating chart, and then determine if it is to be considered late if it is past the posted due date. Students absent for a week or more will have to see me to work out a special due-date. Parents would be made aware of this policy by a detailed explanation in the syllabus that students will take home the first day of class, as well as a copy of the chart above to keep at home so both students and parents can see when work will be due based on when the student can return to school.