APES Frequently Asked Questions
1) When is tutoring?
I am available for tutoring each Thursday afternoon from 2:30-3:15. Students should come to tutoring with questions, rather than the expectation that I will re-teach the material.
2) When can a student make up a lab or a test?
Students can make up tests or labs before school, during tutoring on Thursday afternoons or lunch on Thursdays, after school on Mondays-Wednesdays IF scheduled in advance, or during an academic resource period (ie. Study Skills). It is NOT possible to do make-up work during lunches on other days or after school on Fridays. Please be aware that due to the length of APES assessments and labs, it is often not possible to complete this make-up work before school or during lunch. In these cases, after school arrangements will need to be made.
3) What is the policy on re-assessment?
UPDATE: September 16, 2015
In accordance with Butler policy, AP students may NOT re-take assessments. The CMS re-assessment policy DOES NOT include AP courses, so this school-wide decision was made by the School Leadership Team (consisting of administrators, teachers, parents, and students).
4) What is the APES Portfolio?
In AP Environmental Science we do many short activities and labs in class to reinforce concepts and provide the student with immediate self-assessment. To give credit for this work, and yet still allow timely discussion and feedback, I use a portfolio. After selected assignments are completed, I will collect the work and it will be filed in the portfolio folder of that student. This folder will not leave class. Then, we may discuss the assignment as a class. During the year, we have portfolio checks. These checks include questions from various assignments, as well as connecting themes. The student will be able to use his/her folder to answer the questions. During tutoring, or occasionally during class, students have the opportunity to examine portfolio work and make changes if based on deepening understanding. However, all portfolio work is to be completed individually, and cheating will result in a zero for that portfolio check!
4) How are group lab reports and projects graded?
In order to facilitate understanding of concepts and to encourage collaboration with other students, I often have students work in pairs or in groups of 3-5 individuals. In situations such as these, I usuallyassign a GROUP report to be turned in. Typically these assignments are completed entirely in class and the only portion that must be completed at home (if anything) is the final, formal, typing of the report. These reports are then graded for accuracy using a detailed grading rubric and a grade is assigned to the group. That grade is multiplied by the number of individuals in the group, and the group can choose to divide up the total points however they see fit. This requires a high level of maturity on the students' part...those that pull their own weight must advocate for themselves while those that do NOT actively participate in the group or do NOT complete their portion of the report must understand that they will be penalized for this. An example is shown below:
Lab #1 - Ground Level Ozone Testing
group grade: 60/70
4 students in group: 60 x 4 = 240
240 points can be divided among 4 group members:
Student 1 - 60/70 Or 57/70
Student 2 - 60/70 Or 63/70
Student 3 - 60/70 Or 52/70
Student 4 - 60/70 Or 68/70
This method of grading has been utilized for several years, not only by myself but by other teachers that teach AP courses.
5) When is the AP Environmental Science Exam?
The 2017 APES exam is Monday, May 1st.
I am available for tutoring each Thursday afternoon from 2:30-3:15. Students should come to tutoring with questions, rather than the expectation that I will re-teach the material.
2) When can a student make up a lab or a test?
Students can make up tests or labs before school, during tutoring on Thursday afternoons or lunch on Thursdays, after school on Mondays-Wednesdays IF scheduled in advance, or during an academic resource period (ie. Study Skills). It is NOT possible to do make-up work during lunches on other days or after school on Fridays. Please be aware that due to the length of APES assessments and labs, it is often not possible to complete this make-up work before school or during lunch. In these cases, after school arrangements will need to be made.
3) What is the policy on re-assessment?
UPDATE: September 16, 2015
In accordance with Butler policy, AP students may NOT re-take assessments. The CMS re-assessment policy DOES NOT include AP courses, so this school-wide decision was made by the School Leadership Team (consisting of administrators, teachers, parents, and students).
4) What is the APES Portfolio?
In AP Environmental Science we do many short activities and labs in class to reinforce concepts and provide the student with immediate self-assessment. To give credit for this work, and yet still allow timely discussion and feedback, I use a portfolio. After selected assignments are completed, I will collect the work and it will be filed in the portfolio folder of that student. This folder will not leave class. Then, we may discuss the assignment as a class. During the year, we have portfolio checks. These checks include questions from various assignments, as well as connecting themes. The student will be able to use his/her folder to answer the questions. During tutoring, or occasionally during class, students have the opportunity to examine portfolio work and make changes if based on deepening understanding. However, all portfolio work is to be completed individually, and cheating will result in a zero for that portfolio check!
4) How are group lab reports and projects graded?
In order to facilitate understanding of concepts and to encourage collaboration with other students, I often have students work in pairs or in groups of 3-5 individuals. In situations such as these, I usuallyassign a GROUP report to be turned in. Typically these assignments are completed entirely in class and the only portion that must be completed at home (if anything) is the final, formal, typing of the report. These reports are then graded for accuracy using a detailed grading rubric and a grade is assigned to the group. That grade is multiplied by the number of individuals in the group, and the group can choose to divide up the total points however they see fit. This requires a high level of maturity on the students' part...those that pull their own weight must advocate for themselves while those that do NOT actively participate in the group or do NOT complete their portion of the report must understand that they will be penalized for this. An example is shown below:
Lab #1 - Ground Level Ozone Testing
group grade: 60/70
4 students in group: 60 x 4 = 240
240 points can be divided among 4 group members:
Student 1 - 60/70 Or 57/70
Student 2 - 60/70 Or 63/70
Student 3 - 60/70 Or 52/70
Student 4 - 60/70 Or 68/70
This method of grading has been utilized for several years, not only by myself but by other teachers that teach AP courses.
5) When is the AP Environmental Science Exam?
The 2017 APES exam is Monday, May 1st.