Quest Early College HS
9th Grade AVID—9th Period
Mr. Tarpomanov
9th Grade AVID Course Syllabus
2016-17
General Description:
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is an elective program that helps students to achieve the necessary requirements and skills to be eligible for university acceptance. The program has two major components: tutorials and AVID curriculum. Tutorials will occur twice a week. Tutorials are small study groups that are facilitated by college students who will assist students with their studies. Each AVID student is to come prepared for the tutorial with questions from their core or college classes. Field trips will be scheduled to visit local colleges and universities, providing students with the opportunity to visit the institutions firsthand.
AVID students are expected to be motivated and determined to achieve university acceptance at the end of their high school career. It will be necessary for AVID students to manage their time so that school and studies become a top priority. This means that they will need to be responsible for making wise and sometimes difficult choices.
Required Materials:
The following materials are required in class every day. A lack of materials wastes valuable class time and interferes with success.
· 2-3 inch 3-ring view binder (can be larger than 3”, but not smaller than 2 inches)
· 7-8 colored tab dividers (a minimum of 1 per class)
· 2 or more black or blue ink pens
· 2 or more #2 pencils
· Zipper pouch to store supplies
· 2 different colored highlighters
· 1 pack of 3” X 3” sticky notes (multicolored preferred)
· 1 pack of notebook paper (college ruled)
· A school provided planner
· 1 USB flash drive
Expectations:
o This is an Early College High School. Students are expected to demonstrate maturity, responsibility, and respect for others. The work that they submit must be their own.
o Students come prepared for class and tutorials each day with all work completed and their Binders up to date.
o Students will be expected to follow the Norms for Behavior established in their AVID classes.
Curriculum:
o AVID will teach students to be logical, effective Writers.
o AVID will teach students to learn by asking questions through Inquiry.
o AVID will teach students to learn by Collaboration.
o AVID will teach students to be Organized through the use of calendars, binders, agendas, priority planner and assignment logs.
o AVID will teach students to be critical readers.
o AVID will assist students to be effective learners through Cornell Notes and Tutorial.
Grading Scale: Final grades will be assigned as follows:
100% - 90% = A 89% - 80% = B 79% - 75% = C 74% - 70% = D Below 70% = F
Attendance & Late work
o You are responsible for all material presented in class. Even if you have a college class, you are still responsible for completing and turning in assignments when they are due.
o Late work will be accepted following the QECHS grading policy which is posted on the school webpage. It is your responsibility to know it. It is your responsibility to print essays or have assignments ready before the class period begins.
o If you have a serious extenuating circumstance, speak with me as soon as possible. Waiting until the class period when something is due is not acceptable.
Classwork, Homework, & Projects:
o Classwork and homework assignments are designed to help students to develop personally and academically and to ultimately prepare them for college and a career.
o Students are expected to complete all in-class and homework assignments by the given due dates. Otherwise, the assignment will be considered late and will incur a late grade.
o Individual and group projects will be assigned throughout the year.
Evaluation: All assignments are of equal importance. Some assignments will be weighted more than others. In these cases students will be given advanced notice of the assignment weight.
Cornell Notes
o Cornell Notes are required components of learning in both high school and college classes and will be checked/ graded on a regular basis in AVID.
o A minimum of two pages of Cornell notes are required for each academic class each week.
Binder Checks
o Student binders will be checked/ graded regularly in AVID classes.
o Binders will be graded for organization, Cornell notes, materials & supplies, a completed daily planner, priority planning, and/ or assignment logs.
o If you are absent during a Binder Check due to illness, you may request a Binder Check on the day you return. Additional binder checks may randomly occur throughout the year so binders must be organized at all times.
Tutorials
o Students will be graded for each tutorial session. Students earn points for their questions, participation, and reflection during the tutorial process. Since tutorials are a collaborative effort, students must be present as well as participate in each tutorial to receive credit.
o Tutors will guide students on their path towards arriving at answers or solutions to their questions, but they will not provide the answers for students.
Portfolio
o Towards the end of each semester, students will create a digital portfolio of selected projects/ assignments that represent their academic progress throughout the year. Portfolios will be assessed at the end of each semester.
Cut and return to school
I have read and understand the requirements for the 9th Grade AVID elective.
Student Name ______Period ______
Parent/Guardian Signature ______Date ____/____/____
Phone Number (____) ______-______Parent’s Email Address ______