INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

GRADING CRITERIA

GRADE SCALE

90 – 100% = A;   80 – 89% = B; 70 – 79% = C; Below 70% = F

• Graded homework assignments cannot be made up or turned in late.
• All written homework should be placed in the Assignment Folder at the beginning of class on the day it is due, or it will be considered late and not accepted.
• Most of your assignments will appear on the Assignment Calendar(s). I will give out instructions for the assignments in class only.  If you miss class, it is your responsibility to call a fellow student about the next day's assignments—not me.
• Detailed information concerning assignments will be given verbally in class. Other important information will appear as bullet points on the Assignment Calendar(s).

DETAILED GRADING PROCEDURES

Your grades are divided into the following categories:

1. My Reading Lab Lexile Level: Your My Reading Lab grade is determined by improvement in your reading (lexile) level. You will receive your initial lexile level when you take your pretest. Each student is expected to improve this score significantly by the end of the semester. A student’s grade for this aspect of MRL is determined by how much a student improves his/her lexile score.

Each lexile point of improvement is worth 1 point, so a student who improves his/her score by 86 points will earn an 86% in this category.  Any student who improves his/her lexile score above 100% will be awarded 10% extra credit for every 25-lexile-point-increment.

(For example, a student improving his/her lexile score by 150 points, would earn a 100% lexile grade, plus an additional 20% extra credit for the 50 lexile points above the initial 100 points for a maximum 120% grade.)

2. Practice Readings: Students will complete several practice readings.  These readings            will cover the skills explained both in class and in the chapters of your textbook. Some will be based on our novel, The Giver. Other readings will come from MRL and/or your textbook or other sources. These readings will count 15% of your total grade.

3. The Novel: Students will purchase a copy of The Giver by Lois Lowry. Over the 16 weeks of the course, we will read, discuss, take quizzes, and complete activities related to this novel. All the activities for this novel project will count 15% of the total grade.

4. My Reading Lab Units: My Reading Lab (MRL) gives a student practice in the important comprehension, critical thinking, and study skills of reading a college text. In class, we will set aside some time to work on the My Reading Lab (MLR) Units.  Though we may begin a MRL unit in class, it is the responsibility of the student to complete each unit outside of class by its due date as shown on the course Assignment Calendar. These online skills exercises are part of the classwork/quizzes/exercises/homework category which is 15% of your grade.

5. Classwork, Quizzes, Exercises, Homework: These will count 15% of your grade. You will receive a course Assignment Calendar(s) informing you of when this work is due.

6. Attendance & Participation: By simply coming to class on time and participating, students have the opportunity to make a weekly positive contribution to their grade. Points will be deducted from the weekly attendance/participation grade for such behavior infractions as tardiness, sleeping, leaving the classroom, cell phone use,texting, disruptive or disrespectful behavior. Attendance/Participation counts as 5% of your grade.

7. Tests: Through-out the semester, we will have tests that cover the concepts from several chapters we have completed up to that point in time.

8. Final Exam: The final will be taken during the last week of class and will cover some of all the concepts we have studied through-out the semester (a cumulative final).

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:

TSI COMPLIANCE

At North Central Texas College, students who test but do not meet the passing scores in ALL sections of the TSI Assessment or any other THECB approved testing measurements are required by state law to obtain TSI advising and continuously enroll in a formal college preparatory studies (developmental) program every semester until all TSI requirements are satisfied. TSI program attendance is MANDATORY. Non-compliance with the rules of attendance will result in a student being WITHDRAWN from the college preparatory course and possibly from North Central Texas College. Withdrawals are subject to college policies as set forth in the college catalog.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all College Prep classes for which they have registered. There are NO excused absences. The Department of College Preparatory Studies will notify students of absences reported by instructors and one courtesy warning e-mail notification (Lion Pride email) will be sent to the students’ current NCTC student e-mail address (Lion Pride) when the student accrues 1 weeks’ absence(not necessarily consecutive days) in a course. Failure to read and/or receive NCTC e-mail (Lion Pride) is no excuse for not complying with the Attendance Policy. It is the student's responsibility to maintain correct and current e-mail and local and permanent addresses with the college.

After a student has been absent from class 2 weeks (not necessarily consecutive days), the student may be dropped. If the student is dropped from the only College Prep class in which he/she is enrolled and is TSI liable, the student will be DROPPED from all remaining courses for that semester.

Inform the instructor in writing during the first week of class of any religious holidays observed this semester. Documentation must be given to the instructor at the class following the holiday.

Also, since punctuality has become a problem in recent semesters, three tardies will be considered one absence. Coming in late disrupts the class. Occasions do occur that you will need to be tardy, but not on a consistent basis.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Course Assignment Calendar(s) will be handed out in class and individual assignments will be explained during class. The instructor reserves the right to make necessary changes in the Course Assignment Calendar(s) as needed.

LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Thursday, November 3, 2016.

DISABILITY SERVICES (OSD)

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209.  Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209.

North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112).   http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook. http://nctc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014-2015/Catalog/North-Central-Texas-College-Student-Handbook.

TOBACCO-FREE CAMPUS

NCTC restricts the use of all tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco, on campus property.