AP CalculusAB(2017– 2018)
Teacher:Mrs. NguyenSchool phone number: 713 – 741 – 2410
Email:onference Time: 7:55 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.(A Days)
School website: Number: 316
This is a college level course and students can get college credit for 1 semester of Calculus if they get a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) test given by the College Board in May 2018. I work very hard to prepare my students for the AP test and I expect each student to work hard and take that test. Students will have to work very regularly in order to perform well in this course. Copy of a tentative schedule for lessons, homework assignments, quizzes, and tests is attached for your reference. Copy of the detailed syllabus prescribed by the College Board will be posted on Gradespeed, HUB, and on my webpage.
Textbook: Calculus – Early Transcendental Functions by Robert Smith and Roland Minton (3rd edition), Publisher: McGraw Hill
GRADING POLICY:
TESTS 50%
QUIZZES40%
HOMEWORK10%
TESTS: At least 2 per cycle. End of Cycle Tests will be comprehensive. Tests will not be released. Students will have opportunities to go over/review the tests in class and during tutorial times.
PROJECTS: May be assigned once per cycle.
QUIZZES: Approximately 3-4 per cycle.
HOMEWORK: Students are expected to complete the assignment everyday. Homework is graded on effort and percent of work completed, not necessarily on correct answers. Work must be shown for each problem. Homework will be checked on the day of the quiz or test. All homework assignments, quizzes and tests must be kept in a separate binder and the binder must be with the student for each class.
For all multiple choice assessments, students must show work. If answers are marked without showing relevant work, credit may not be given. Teacher will NOT correct mistakes in grading made on Scantron Answer Sheet. Students must fill in the answers carefully and promptly. If necessary, teacher will provide a new scantron sheet during the test/quiz, but both the original and new sheet must be handed in together.
Students should use the cycle lesson/assessment plan distributed at the beginning of each grading cycle to plan their course studies. Homework assignments should be worked in advance of the due date and practice for scheduled assessments should be part of the daily routine.
Absences: If you must be absent, notify the teacher as soon as possible to receive your work ahead of time. If the absence was not anticipated, it is your responsibility to find out about missed assignments. If you are absent on the day of a major test or quiz, you must schedule a make-up activity on your first day back to class. Parents are requested to ensure that their child has talked to the teacher about the arrangement of make up for the test or quiz or contact the teacher immediately through email or telephone.
The teacher may give extensions for students with extended illnesses or emergencies on an individual basis. Extensions will be given in writing and a new due date will be specified. Extensions will not be given for lack of organization or planning on the part of the student.
Progress Report: Approximately every three weeks, each student will receive a grade, either a progress report or a report card, to be signed by the parents and returned the next day. Grades will also be posted on Gradespeed.
Calculator: TI 83/84 Plus will be used in class. Students are recommended to buy a calculator (TI 84 Silver Edition) as it will be required for homework and for their college courses too. If a student is having any difficulty in this matter it should be brought the teacher’s notice. Teacher will try to issue a calculator to such students. They will be responsible to give it back to the teacher in good working condition at the end of the semester/school year. Students are responsible to bring the calculator for each class.
Returning graded assignments: Exams and quizzes will be graded and reviewed within two class periods from the time of administration. Parents are requested to monitor the progress of their child through these graded assignments and through Gradespeed and contact the teacher immediately if there are questions or concerns.
Note: Students will NOT be allowed to take graded tests home with them. Graded tests will be kept in the classroom for the students to review during lunch and tutorial periods.
Tutoring: Students will have opportunities to attend tutorials outside of the school day including after school (3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.). Details will be announced in class.
Cell Phone Policy:Cell phones will not be used in this class. Occasionally, it is useful for a student to take a picture of something on the board. If a student asks permission to use their cell phone is this manner, permission will be granted. Otherwise, cell phones should not be out or visible during class. Cell phones should not be used during quizzes and/or tests. Further, when reviewing a test, a student may not take a picture of the test.
Field Lessons: All students interested in going on a Field Lesson for any other subject must take my permission in writing. They will be responsible for making up the missing instructional material on their own and schedule make up assessments (within 2–3 days after the field lesson) in consultation with me.
Fire Drill: During fire drills all students must exit the classroom and go to the designated area along with the teacher.
This is howMath department implements the Grading Policy:
- If an assignment is not turned in on the due date, that assignment may be turned in to the teacher by the beginning of the next class meeting; the grade received will be no higher than a 70%. If the assignment is not turned in on the next meeting day, the grade remains a zero.
- Retake opportunities must be scheduled outside the regular class time. Details will be announced in class.
- No retakes are allowed for quizzes, Test 2, and the End of Cycle Test (CAT). If a student receives a failing grade on the first test of the cycle, he/she may request an opportunity to re-take that test. That request must be made in writing to the teacher during the class on the day that the student receives the graded assignment. Cancellation of the request made must be done 24 hours in advance of the test date with the teacher. If not, the zero is given in the result of not showing up to take the Retake Test. The retake test will not be the same test as the original test but it will cover the same material as that of the original test.
- The retake final assignment grade will be an average of the two scores, the original and the retake, unless the average is higher than a 70. If the average is higher than a 70, the grade defaults to a 70. The highest grade a student can receive on the final assignment or test is a 70%.
- The retake test or class assignment must be completed within two school days of receiving the grade. Students are responsible to schedule the date and time of the retake test in consultation with the teacher on the day of receiving the grade for test 1. Retake test will scheduled before school (starting at 7 am) or after school from 3:30 to 4:30 pm only on Mon –Thursday. Parents are requested to make sure that their child has scheduled a retake test as per above guideline otherwise contact me through email or on telephone to ensure that the retake is scheduled.
- One quiz with the lowest grade will be dropped per cycle.
- Students must finish the entire assessment (including bubbling the scantrons for multiple choice questions) within the time allocated.
Student Keys to Success:
- Paying full attention in class, taking good notes and reviewing them daily
- Daily practice of previously learned concepts and working on a regular basis to learn new concepts
- Working on homework assignments seriously and being prepared to ask specific questions when the homework is reviewed in class
- Reviewing all quizzes and homework problems before an exam and making sure that these problems can be worked successfully without assistance
- Get help if needed on a daily basis
Please complete this form and return it to Mrs. Nguyenat the beginning of the next class meeting. Friday of the first week of school is the latest.
Note to Parents:
Your signature below acknowledges your receipt of the syllabus for Mrs. Nguyen’s APCalculusAB class. Please sign in the appropriate space below. If you have any questions about its contents, please contact Mrs. Nguyen. One method of contact is to call the school at 713-741-2410 and leave a contact phone number for her to return your call. Every effort will be made to return your call as quickly as possible. The preferred method of contact is to send an email to . It is the preferred method since email is more readily available than a phone.
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