The Flex/Collaboration Period This Flex/Collaboration time can be used in many ways: • Common time to work on projects with a classmate • Additional instruction time for most science cla
Trang 1Assignment and Assessment Protocols
1 Advice to the Student
Adapting to a new schedule will be easy for some and challenging for others As the year progresses, please discuss your experience with your teacher and advisor
Time Management
It might be helpful to carry a copy of your schedule at all times Be on time for class Make good choices with your time
60/65 Minute Periods
The longer class meeting time will offer you an opportunity for engaging class discussions and a variety of activities You will want to be prepared so you can be fully involved in the class
The Flex/Collaboration Period
This Flex/Collaboration time can be used in many ways:
• Common time to work on projects with a classmate
• Additional instruction time for most science classes
• Opportunity to extend class time with advance notice
• Opportunity for additional instruction/extra help
• Conference time
• Opportunity to finish tests
• Independent study time
Free Periods (Upper School)
It is important to use this time wisely You can meet your teachers, study, do homework for the next day, perform research, work on team projects, practice skills, and organize your day
Homework (specific “Homework/Assignment Loads” policy below)
A new schedule may demand that you make adjustments in your homework regimen If the assigned homework involves practicing a skill or responding to the day’s class discussion, it might be helpful to complete the homework the day it is assigned Try to see your teacher(s) about any homework questions the day before your next class during the flex/collaboration time, CP, or a free period Long-term assignments require that you make good decisions, best suited to your work style, to complete the assignment on time Your teacher is your best resource in helping you deal with any problems
Achieving your Academic Goals
Remember that you are ultimately responsible for your learning You should keep track of your progress in class and set personal goals for achievement Don’t be afraid to explore, stretch yourself, and take risks Make sure you see your teacher or advisor if you encounter any
difficulties
Trang 22 Assignment Due Dates
Middle School
Assignments should be due on days when the class meets
Upper School
Day-to-day assignments should be due on days when class meets Teachers may allow students
to submit longer-term assignments on days when the class does not meet if this flexibility benefits the students
Teachers should avoid late night deadlines Some students will work to complete assignments
up until the communicated deadline, and hence may not get the sleep that they need
3 Homework/Assignment Loads
Grade 6, Form I, and Form II
Homework assignments should average 20 to 25 minutes per course In Form II, this average may be closer to 35 minutes Once per cycle, a course will meet last period and then first period on the next day On the evening following the last period class, homework should be limited to a 10 to 15 minute assignment
Upper School
Homework assignments should average 40 to 45 minutes per class meeting with an outside limit of 60 minutes for reading-intensive or Advanced Placement courses
There should be no “doubling up” on day-to-day assignments It is also recommended that if a teacher has a major assessment due on a class day, then he/she should not also have a day-to-day assignment due on the same day-to-day A teacher may not require more than one major
assessment in the last week of a grading period
4 Assessments
Three Major Assessments on One Day Policy
If a student has three major assessments on the same day, he/she may request a day extension from the teacher who was last to schedule an assessment The student should speak with the teacher as soon as possible This conversation should take place at least two school days in advance While it is impossible to make a complete list of major assessments, lab reports, papers, projects, and unit tests would be relevant examples Short quizzes are not considered major assessments
Universal Assessment Calendar
In the Middle School, the “universal calendar” will be maintained This idea will continue to be explored in the Upper School, but Upper School students need to take responsibility (The working group on assessment recommends a trial run of an Upper School universal assessment calendar posted, by grade, in the Upper School Faculty Room.)
Trang 3Teachers should be aware of times during the year when assessments tend to be numerous The days prior to long breaks or the ends of marking periods are such times The Academic Committee will publish an assessment calendar for the last full cycle of these times of the year Make-Up Assessment Guidelines
Occasionally students may be unable to sit for an assessment during the scheduled class time due to extended time accommodation, illness, or schedule conflicts With their teacher’s approval, an alternate time/day to sit for the assessment may be arranged This policy provides guidelines for scheduling make-up assessments and ensuring compliance with Extended Time Accommodations
Rescheduling Missed Assessments: To ensure the integrity of the evaluation, missed
assessments must be made up promptly Unless there is a medical excuse, they should be rescheduled within a 24-hour period If multiple assessments are missed due to an
absence, the assessments may be made up within a 48-hour period on a schedule agreed upon between the teacher and student
Missed Appointments: Students who fail to keep an appointment to make up an
assessment—without notifying their teacher in advance, in writing—will be considered
a “no show.” The “Late Policy” may apply to assessments that are not taken at their
scheduled time
In-School Extended Time Assessment Policy
Ideally, students with 50% Extended Time should take their assessments in one sitting
However, on occasion, it may be necessary to divide the assessment into two parts, with the student taking part of the assessment in class and the balance at another time The teacher and the student should establish a mutually convenient time for the student to take the
remainder of the assessment, preferably on the same day However, on occasion, a student may have two tests in one day, and therefore the teacher may need to extend this testing accommodation over a 48-hour period If the student is unable to schedule the
accommodation to fit within the 48-hour window, he or she must notify the Director of
Academic Support Services in writing The Director of Academic Support Services will work with the student and the teacher to develop an alternative timeline
5 Faculty Collaboration Days
Faculty Collaboration Days are scheduled on October 2, 2013; November 6, 2013; December 4, 2013; and May 7, 2014 Faculty meetings will be held from 8:00 to 9:25 a.m., and classes will run on a special schedule beginning at 9:30 a.m on Faculty Collaboration Days Students are not expected on campus until 9:25 a.m Students may come to school earlier, however faculty will not be available for extra help or conferences before 9:25 a.m
Trang 4Students Q&A about New Schedule
Will all science classes meet for 90 minutes?
Science of the 21st Century and Introduction to Research will meet for 65 minutes (4 days per cycle) Anatomy and Physiology will meet for 90 minutes (2 days per cycle) and for 65 minutes (2 days per cycle) All other science classes will meet for 90 minutes (3 days per cycle) and for
65 minutes (1 day per cycle)
What will happen if our buses get us to school late?
We have notified the bus companies of the new start time for the school day If your bus is not
on time, please let us know
When you say “longer-term assignments can be due on days when the class does not meet,” does that mean a teacher can assign reading on a Wednesday and have it due on a Thursday even though the class does not meet?
In the Upper School, long-term assignments (papers, reports) could be due on a day that your class does not meet; however, regular daily assignments are due only on the days your class meets In the Middle School, assignments will only be due on the days the class meets
Since I am an (Upper School) musician, I am worried that I will not have enough conference time
In the new schedule, music ensembles meet on a MWF schedule Conference periods are M-F, and Flex periods can be used like conference periods Unless a student has science, a student has two Flex periods a day in addition to a Conference period
Can teachers use Flex periods after their classes whenever they want?
No, teachers must apply for Flex periods in advance Teacher requests for the use of Flex period must be submitted to Dean Chatterji Students will be notified in advance if a Flex period will be used by their teacher (other than for science)
Will lunch periods be broken up the same way as they are now? How will first-lunch be handled? Some teachers let their students eat first-lunch even though they have second-lunch First-lunch is really crowded
The Middle School faculty and students will eat lunch first as they do in the current schedule Upper School students who have science or art classes will be scheduled for first-lunch, and Upper School students with other classes should eat during the last lunch period Upper School students who are free should eat during the “middle” lunch We will ask teachers to comply with these lunch assignments
We were told that we would be able to pick up art during junior year Can we still do that? Yes, under the current schedule there are eight class periods, and two are dedicated to science,
so you really have only seven periods to schedule classes Next year, there will be seven
periods available for your classes (Juniors are no longer required to schedule Health/Financial Literacy/Fitness in their schedules.)
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Why are we changing to the new schedule?
Under our current schedule, students must move from back-to-back classes throughout the day Under the new schedule, students seldom have back-to-back classes, and there are fewer classes that meet in a given day We are working to slow down the pace of the day, reduce student stress, and give students more time to reflect on their work
Will we be able to give feedback on the schedule next year?
Yes, we will conduct a baseline survey at the end of the current school year and conduct
another survey next year We have scheduled three Faculty Collaboration days during the first semester so that we can get feedback from teachers and make adjustments as needed
Will the calendar with letter days be available?
Yes, there is a google.calendar created with the letter days The Student Technology
Committee is creating a Pingry App with the new schedule, lunch menu, letter days, etc which will be ready in the fall
Will we have a dry run of the new schedule this year?
No We discussed the pros and cons and listened to feedback from schools who considered a dry run of their new schedule We felt the disruption to the end of this school year was not worth the trial run
What happens if there is a snow day?
If it snows on a B-day, we come back to school and it's a C-day Just like this year, if it snows on Tuesday, we come back to school the next day on a Wednesday schedule
How will we be able to make up snow or hurricane days on the new schedule?
If it snows on a B-day and we come back to school on a C-day, we could create a special C-day schedule and add class periods as we did this year
Will there be assemblies next year?
Yes We have created two special assembly schedules that can be superimposed on any letter days We have created 40-minute and 60-minute assembly schedules for next year
What time will our buses get to school on Faculty Collaboration days?
We will give the bus companies our school schedule The arrival time on a Faculty
Collaboration day will depend upon the agreement with the bus driver Students will not be required to be on campus until 9:30 a.m However, students can arrive earlier and work with a classmate, study, etc Faculty will not be available, just as they are unavailable during a Friday faculty meeting
What is the Universal Assessment Calendar?
Teachers will be asked to post their assessments on a master calendar the week before long breaks or the end of the semester
Trang 6Will tests be 65 minutes long?
We encourage teachers to keep traditional tests to 40-45 minutes to help students with extended time complete a test within a class period However, teachers will explore ways to develop new or alternative assessments that may utilize the extended class period
How will extended time work?
Much as it does this year for students who qualify for an extended time accommodation However, according to the new policy, students will have 24 hours to work with their teachers
to arrange a time to complete assessments Then, they will have 48 hours in which to actually complete their assessments