Course requirements are connected to activities that will complement and enrich (not distract from) your practice teaching component. All assignments are to be completed by the due date listed. Any late submission of assignments must be approved with the instructor or teaching assistant in advance. Your time is a precious commodity this semester, and it is imperative that you learn to budget that time carefully. There are no accommodations made in the practice teaching semester for you to learn this and to adjust subsequently. It must be a part of your personal habits from the beginning.
Grades will be assigned according to the quality of work you submit, the amount of effort you exhibit (in class, in assignments, and in application), and the magnitude of progress that you achieve in your own professional development. Point values for course components are indicated below.
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Requirement: |
Description: |
Due Date: |
Point Value: |
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Class Attendance & Participation |
Impossible to succeed, much less to grow, without these elements. You are allowed one cut from a Wednesday evening session, and no cuts in full day sessions. Participation should be automatic. |
Not applicable |
Total = 100 points or 10% Each cut after the first subtracts 50 points (i.e., half of a letter grade). |
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Weekly Email Journal |
Each week, you will be asked to submit a short email to the instructors and to the class listserve. For details, see Email Journals. |
By 12:00 Noon each Saturday. |
Total = 100 points or 10% |
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Weekly short reading assignments |
Each week, there will be some reading required from the texts, handouts, or other sources. Some reading will be assigned to groups as well as individual assignments. |
By the beginning of classtime each session. |
Total = 100 points or 10% |
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Occasional Short assignments |
Occasionally, there will be short activities or assignments that you will be asked to complete between class sessions. Their number will be small. All short assignments will be graded on a 10 point scale. |
By the beginning of the next class session after the assignment is made. |
Total = 100 points or 10% |
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Professional Portfolio (more detailed info in the portfolio section of the syllabus) |
Resume |
There are due dates for each part of the portfolio. The final due date for the completed electronic portfolio is May 7. |
There are specific point values for each part of the portfolio. See the Portfolio section for details. Total portfolio value = 600 points or 60% |
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Statement of teaching philosophy |
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Meeting the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards |
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Middle School Teaching Unit |
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High School Teaching Unit |
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Mini Action Research Project |
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Total = 1000 points or 100% |
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Grades are then assigned by the following points or percentages:
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Grade |
Type |
Point Range |
Percentage Range |
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A+ Exceptional work only |
980-1000 |
98 -100 % |
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A |
930-979 |
93 - 97.9 % |
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A- |
900-929 |
90 - 92.9 % |
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B+ |
880-899 |
88 - 89.9 % |
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B |
830-879 |
83 - 87.9 % |
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B- |
800-829 |
80 - 82.9 % |
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C+ |
780-799 |
78 - 79.9 % |
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C |
730-779 |
73 - 77.9 % |
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C- |
700-729 |
70 - 72.9 % |
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D I refuse to consider +'s and -'s in this category. |
600-699 |
60 - 69.9 % |
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E |
Below 600 points |
Less than 60 % |
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One should be really quite concerned at achieving anything lower than a "B" range grade during the practice teaching semester. No matter how you interpret letter grades, a "C" grade in this course would reflect that you have not attained an adequate level of understanding, synthesis, and application to enter the profession as a practicing mathematics educator. |
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