Hello, My Name Is...

Mr. Esposito

Below, you'll find a syllabus for the class, as well as a brief explanation of the district-wide benchmark system.  If you have questions, or would like to contact me for any reason, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at michaele@hickmanmills.org or call me at school (my extension is 7550).  My free plan periods are 8:48 - 9:33 and 11:15-12:00 M and F, 8:40-9:15 and 10:40-11:25 on W.  Students wishing to stay after school to make up benchmarks can stay with me on Mondays, Ms. Macy on Tuesdays, and Mr. Logan on Thursdays; if possible, I will also offer tutoring on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons if I am not supervising detentions -- I will inform students of these arrangements as soon as I can.

Syllabus: 7^th Grade Math (Pre-Algebra) – Team Oregon B      

Team Plan Time – 8:48-9:33 (M, T, Th, F)

Individual Plan Time – 11:14 – 11:59 (M, T, Th, F) 

Course Objective:

Students will improve and excel in math as they work to master the concepts and skills of pre-algebra and the Missouri Grade Level Expectations for 7^th grade. 

Course materials: 

• Connected Mathematics textbook (provided by school)
• Calculator (provided by school)
• loose-leaf notebook paper (enough for the entire year)
• pencils and eraser
• markers or colored pencils.

Units

Grading

Assessments, Class Work, Accelerated Math, Projects, and Homework are all used to evaluate every student’s skills. Grades are assigned by the number of benchmarks completed for a specific grading period.  There are 50 benchmarks to be mastered in this course, and each one must be passed twice to demonstrate mastery; students will be given multiple opportunities to pass benchmarks during the course.

Grading Scale

    * A = 90 - 100%

    * B = 80 - 89%

    * C = 70 - 79%

    * D = 60 - 69%

    * F = below 60%

Classroom Rules:

    * Respect others and yourself

* Be prepared to learn

* Be on time.

    * Work hard, get smart!

Absences:

If a student is absent, he or she is expected to make up any assignments, tests, or quizzes that were given and/or turned in. It is the responsibility of the student to copy class notes and “TLW’s” (objectives) that were missed and complete the homework independently.  Students will have one day for each day of absence to turn in make-up work without penalty.  For example, if a student is absent Monday and Tuesday, the make-up work is due on Friday.  Class-only activities, such as games, will not count against students with excused absences. 

Cheating:

ANY form of cheating will result in an “Incomplete” and further consequence if necessary. The student will be expected to redo the work and turn it in.  Cheating includes: plagiarism, copying someone else's work, or allowing someone to copy your work. 

Homework Policy:

    * Assigned from Monday through Thursday.

    * Must be returned the following school day for full credit.

    * Must be completed on notebook or graph paper.

    * Must be stored in the student's classroom folder after it is checked and corrected. 

Accelerated Math Program

Accelerated Math is a computer-based math skill management system.  The program generates, scores, and records each student’s progress on selected math objectives.  This program will be a component of the Math Lab portion of your child’s schedule.  The scores on the Accelerated Math tests will be a part of your child’s math grade. 

The Power of “I”:

Each student is expected to complete work for mastery.  An 80% or better is required for all assignments.  If this is not met, students must correct the work until it has met this criterion.  Assignments that are incomplete or do not achieve mastery will necessitate after-school or after-class time for support until the assignments are at the 80% or better level.   

If a student fails to turn in an assignment, the student will receive an “I” until the work is turned in.  Late work will be assessed a deduction in points not greater than 10% of the earned score.  Academic detentions will be assigned for students who have assignments that are more than 5 days late.  As per building policy, ONE OR MORE “I”s within a grading period will result in an “I” grade for that report period.

  
After-School Academic Detentions and/or Behavior Detentions

Should it be necessary for your child for your child to complete late assignments or serve a behavior detention with one of the team teachers, the parent will be contacted with at least 24 hours notice of the detention so that a ride can be scheduled.  If the student fails to stay for the detention, the teacher will reschedule the detention one more time.  If the student fails to serve the rescheduled detention, the student will be referred to the office.

This year, all math courses in the district are being scored on a benchmark system.  In short, this means that the year is broken down into 50 benchmarks, with each benchmark representing a skill or a piece of knowledge we expect students to master by the end of class. To master a benchmark, students must pass it twice.  Students are given multiple opportunities to pass a benchmark in class -- a unit pre-test, a unit post-test, and at least one (usually two) benchmark tests on Fridays -- an they know that they can come after school to make up benchmarks as well.  Students can ALWAYS go back and make up benchmarks they've missed to raise their grade, up until the very last day of the year.