• Syllabus—Miss. Moreno's Class

    Course Description: I will follow the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) approved by the State Board of Education. Students are required to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to read, write, compute, problem solve, think critically, apply technology, and communicate across all subject areas to include Social Studies, Reading, Math, Writing, and Science.

     

    Attendance:

    Students must be in attendance for at least 90 percent of the days school is in session in order to receive credit for the school year. If students do not meet this requirement, only an official attendance committee can consider grade level advancement.

    Homework:

    The purpose of homework is to promote high-quality student learning and achievement. Homework is an out-of-classroom learning experience assigned by a teacher to enhance student learning. It is to target specific learning outcomes, reinforce TEKS taught in the classroom, and provide practice in specific skills. Homework is to be reviewed by teachers to assess students’ skills and knowledge in order to inform instruction. When assigning homework, teachers will ensure that students are provided with sufficient information and direction to complete the homework assignment independently, and that the assignment is not excessive for its intended purpose. In addition, homework is not to be assigned as a discipline consequence.

    Effective Homework Assignments

    1. Are curriculum-based and meet the needs of students through differentiation;
    2. Are designed to require no additional teaching outside of the classroom;
    3. Are clearly articulated and designed so students know what is expected of them before leaving the classroom;
    4. Are engaging and relevant to student learning;
    5. Do not require resources or technology to which a student may not have access; and
    6. Do not require parents/guardians to teach new concepts.

     

    Grades 2 – 5 Homework Expectations

    Homework expectations for grade 2–5 students are:

    • Assignments with grades reported as class work grades are to be completed in the

    classroom.

    • Work assigned to be completed at home must be evaluated as homework and recorded in

    the homework section of the grade book.

    • Homework should be a review or reinforcement of skills already covered in the classroom

    and should not be new information for the student.

    • Homework should not exceed 45 minutes nightly, including reading and math facts.

    Students are expected to complete all homework assignments. Students in grades 2-5 are

    expected to read, or be read to, for at least 20 minutes each school night. Students should

    also practice math facts weekly. If a student has two or more teachers, the teachers are

    expected to coordinate homework to adhere to the maximum time frame.

    Grading:

    Grades 1-5 teachers are expected to record a minimum of two grades from either category below per week for

    in each content area.

    • Tests/Major Projects/Quizzes 40% Minimum of 2 per nine weeks*
    • Daily Assignments: 60% Minimum of 1 per week in each content area

    Progress Reports:

    The purpose of the progress report is to inform students, parents/guardians, and campus administrators

    regarding progress in a subject, in conduct, or in both. The progress report reflects both satisfactory and

    unsatisfactory student progress. Progress reports shall be issued for all students after the fourth week of

    each nine-week grading period. Additional progress reports may be issued at the teacher’s discretion.

    Report Cards:

    The purpose of the report card is to communicate with parents/guardians about the grade a student earned for each subject area. Report cards provide information regarding academic progress as well as attendance information. Report cards shall be issued every nine weeks at the elementary level on the Judson ISD Checklist (Pre-Kindergarten - Kindergarten) and JISD Report Card (Grades 1-5).

    Parent Center:

    Judson ISD provides parents with a means of staying up-to-date on their child’s progress, the JISD Parent Center. Parent Center is a secure website that gives parents the opportunity to check grades, view/download Progress Reports and Report Cards, monitor attendance, review discipline information, e-mail teachers, check meal balances and charges, and view library records. Since teachers are required to update student grades weekly, parents always have an updated picture of their child’s academic progress.

    Late Work:

    Late work is defined as any assignment that is not submitted on its due date, with the exception of make-up work for absences or approved school activities. Teachers are to enter an “M” into the electronic gradebook for any assignment a student does not turn in on time. Late assignments will be accepted 3 days from the assignment due date or at the end of the nine weeks, whichever is sooner. In case of extenuating circumstances, it is the parent/guardian and/or student’s responsibility to inform the teacher and/or appropriate administrator so that an exception to the rule may be considered. The teacher will have the final authority to grant any exceptions.

    Make-Up Work(for absences);

    Students shall be expected to make up assignments and tests after absences. Students shall receive a zero for any assignment or test not made up within the allotted time, unless prior approval is given by the principal or designee. Students will be given one day to make up work for each day they are absent(excused or unexcused), with exceptions made due to severe or prolonged illness. Students will not receive a grade penalty for makeup work from an absence due to suspension. Students will not receive credit for makeup work when the absence is due to truancy, instead, students will receive a “missing” for the assignment (EIAB Local).

    Reteaching/Retesting:

    Re-teaching shall be defined as another presentation of content, usually to provide an additional

    opportunity for a student to learn. Re-teaching may vary from subject to subject or from class to class, and even from student to student. It may be as simple as repeating the concept. If the student still does not understand the concept, the teacher might use different materials or modalities to present the concept again. If the initial instruction was primarily visual, the re-teaching activity might be manipulative. If the teacher used the deduction approach initially, the re-teaching activity might use an inductive approach, thus allowing the student to gain a new perspective on the task. Re-teaching shall be an integral part of the lesson cycle and may occur in many different situations, such as direct teaching as a teacher checks for understanding, guided practice as a teacher monitors, or independent practice as students work individually or in cooperative learning groups. Teachers shall plan for re-teaching at the same time they plan initial instruction, thereby ensuring that alternative instructional strategies are immediately available when needed. If initial re-teaching efforts are unsuccessful, then the time outside of class may be necessary to re-teach. If instructional efforts are unsuccessful, further review of a student’s needs using universal screens, data history and student work may be needed to intervene (RTI process). Re-teaching to ensure that students master the material may include but shall not be limited to the following: the teacher may require the student to attend a tutorial program or remedial classes (Co- curricular or extracurricular activities shall not interfere with the requirement to attend these activities); the teacher may assign additional work on a particular unit for the student to complete; or the teacher may work with small groups during class time while other students work independently.

    1. The teacher will provide re-teaching and re-testing during class time if 30% or more students in a

    class fail to demonstrate at least 70% mastery of the TEKS on a major examination. A major

    examination is considered an examination that counts towards 40% of a student’s grade. All

    students will be given the opportunity for re-teach and to retest with the higher of the two grades

    being recorded. A student’s refusal to re-test will be documented by the teacher.

    1. When less than 30% of a class has failed any major examination individual students must be

    provided the opportunity to make-up or redo the assessment for which the student received a failing

    grade. The teacher will provide an opportunity for re-teaching prior to retesting. A student in shall

    receive no higher than a 70 if mastery is demonstrated.

    1. A teacher will allow individual students to make-up or redo any assignments they have failed

    within three days of the date the failing grade is entered in the electronic grade book or the end of

    the nine weeks, whichever is sooner. The student will be required to participate in tutorials,

    redo/revise the assignment, complete an alternate assignment or any other reasonable assignment

    during the school day. A student shall receive no higher than a 70 if mastery is demonstrated.

    Promotion:

    In grades 2–5, promotion to the next grade level shall be based on an overall average of 70 on a scale of 100 based on course-level, grade-level standards (essential knowledge and skills) for all subject areas and a grade of 70 or above in three of the following areas: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies (EIE Local).

    _____________________________________________________________________________________