STEM Middle School

Grading Policies

Absent students should check Schoology and student connect to see what was missed.

If a student is absent, this work must be made up unless the teacher excuses them from a task and it will not be counted against a student if the work is not required to be made up.


Redos are not an unlimited option.  A student has the opportunity to redo an assignment/assessment once.  It is important that before attempting a redo, you are very clear about what needs to be redone and how it needs to be redone.  Meeting with the teacher first is highly recommended and in some cases, required.Redo Policy

  • While our primary goal as teachers at STEM is for students to succeed – and we recognize that sometimes students need extra time or a second chance for that learning success to occur – the above policies may need to be individualized if we see patterns developing.  If a student is using the above policies to consistently fall behind, not come to class prepared, or form habits that will not benefit the student moving forward, a teacher may choose to put individual policies in place for a student, in order to help with his/her academic success and best interests.  These decisions would be discussed with the student and the parent(s)

Dishonesty Policy

Plagiarism is taking someone else’s work and passing it off as your own.  It can be done by directly copying something from another student, copying it directly from a book resource, or taking it word for word from an internet source.  It is considered plagiarizing if the student does not give credit to the source by directly citing the source or by not mentioning the source of the information in his/her writing/project.  Paraphrasing sources and trying to pass the information off as your own original work is also considered plagiarizing.

Cheating is acting dishonestly or unfairly in order to get ahead or to get an advantage on a test, on homework, or in a game.  Looking at another student’s paper for “help” is cheating.  Taking another person’s paper to “check” if you are doing it correctly is cheating.  “Working together” with another student on an assignment that results in identical work is cheating.  Cheating can be verified after the fact by a teacher based on the these definitions.

Consequences for plagiarizing and cheating:  There is no place for plagiarizing or cheating at STEM Middle School.  If a student is caught in either act, it will result in a zero on that assignment.  A student may resubmit his/her own work/retake within a set number of days set forth by the teacher, but only for 50% total grade.  This includes any formative or summative assignment: homework, essays, projects, and/or tests.

NOTE: Sharing Google documents with another student is only acceptable when both students have completed an essay and it is ready for a peer edit or if it is part of an assignment that the teacher gives (i.e. creating a shared Google Doc with your group to take collaborative notes).  Students should not share documents to give others “ideas”.

Homework Statement:

Homework IS:

  • a practice of skills
  • a reflection on classwork objectives
  • an extension of concepts taught in class
  • front loading of background knowledge and vocabulary (the flipped classroom)
  • formative (20%)
  • to inform the teacher about what students do and do not know.

Homework is NOT:

  • new or untaught material
  • graded for right or wrong answers
  • meant to take hours to complete
  • a punishment
  • an assessment

Formative Work Rubric:

4 This is for work of the highest quality.  You have not just copied the answer  

   down, but you have explained the answers in your own words and given

Examples.  For math, corrections have been made.

3 This is for work that is complete and on the right track, but the answers look

like they have just been copied and/or you have not explained your answer.  I

can not tell what your thinking is.  For math, no corrections have been made.

2 This is for work that is partially incomplete or done incorrectly.

0 This is for work that is not turned in.

Homework receiving a 2 or lower needs to be redone and returned for credit.

Late/Missing Homework Assignments

The STEM late work policy for the year is as follows:

The late work policy at STEM is that any missed work from the week is due by Friday at 4 pm with no points penalty.  That means if an assignment was due on Wednesday and you forgot it or didn’t finish it, you have until Friday to turn it in.  After that, it will not be accepted.  This also includes journals and bellwork from the week.
While we have this policy in place to be considerate of students schedules and those “oops” moments, the policy is not to be over abused or looked at as an assignment extension deadline.  In order to fully participate in class, students need to be prepared with work due that day.  Students found to be misusing the policy may have the policy revoked and an individual policy put in place

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