Grading
You are responsible for monitoring your grade in the course. In order to make your grade accessible and maintain transparency, grades will be updated and posted on a regular basis to Canvas. Your teacher does not “give” grades, you earn them by demonstrating understanding. The final grade for the class should not be a surprise to you. I DO NOT ROUND GRADES. The following “four point” grading scale will be used:
Categories and weights will be applied as follows:
PRACTICE - 20%
This course will also prepare you to learn effectively and independently in a college-level science course. Your Practice is about how you learn Biology. It is assessed with a variety of assignments that aim to help you master the content of the course while building study skills and personal responsibility.
SCIENCE SKILLS - 30%
You will become competent in scientific thinking and practice in this course. In Year 2, you will complete a formal lab experiment that is fully designed, executed, and written up by you - with no teacher guidance. Lab work is assessed with the IB lab rubrics.
ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE - 20%
Essential Knowledge Quizzes (EKs) will assess your understanding of the foundations of the IB curriculum. EKs can be retaken to reflect your growth and understanding of the content.
EXAMS - 30%
Midterms are given once or twice per semester. They will be detailed and comprehensive, including multiple-choice, calculation problems, and essay/discussion questions. Midterms will prepare you for the format, style, and feeling of an IB exam. All questions that appear are IB-style questions. Your semester finals will be cumulative and also be in the style of an IB exam.
PRACTICE - 20%
This course will also prepare you to learn effectively and independently in a college-level science course. Your Practice is about how you learn Biology. It is assessed with a variety of assignments that aim to help you master the content of the course while building study skills and personal responsibility.
SCIENCE SKILLS - 30%
You will become competent in scientific thinking and practice in this course. In Year 2, you will complete a formal lab experiment that is fully designed, executed, and written up by you - with no teacher guidance. Lab work is assessed with the IB lab rubrics.
ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE - 20%
Essential Knowledge Quizzes (EKs) will assess your understanding of the foundations of the IB curriculum. EKs can be retaken to reflect your growth and understanding of the content.
EXAMS - 30%
Midterms are given once or twice per semester. They will be detailed and comprehensive, including multiple-choice, calculation problems, and essay/discussion questions. Midterms will prepare you for the format, style, and feeling of an IB exam. All questions that appear are IB-style questions. Your semester finals will be cumulative and also be in the style of an IB exam.
As this course is intended to prepare you for college-level science and the IB exam, you may find these grade boundaries useful for predicting grades.
Follow the links for more information on specific assessments and how they are graded:
Follow the links for more information on specific assessments and how they are graded: