Each AP Biology student makes a commitment to:

            1) Work to the highest potential!


            2) Participate with PURPOSE & PASSION !


            3) Make Learning the focus!


            4) Believe in the 5 Alive!


            5) Apply new learning and continue creating a legacy for future AP Biology students...

Basic guidelines:

*  Be Encouraged to speak to Mrs. Speirs!

*  Keep tabs on what we are doing in AP Biology; collaborate with peers and
    experts in the field both inside and outside of class.

*  Clarify and complete daily assignments,  homework, i-searches, and labs

*  Use the language of AP Biology and discuss current Biological Issues, events;
    and share these in class with each other

*  Check the Class Website, on a  regular basis, for information

*  Prepare your academic binder on a regular basis to ensure organization &
    timeliness in completing assigned work and readings; to promote review;
    and to track performance and understanding

*  Arrange for a study buddy and be sure to review-reduce, rehearse, recap, reflect, and refresh

*  Develop writing skills, be comfortable with the language of AP Biology

*  Make the most of class time/study time

What does formative and summative mean?

For each quarter, student achievement will be assessed in many and varied ways within the following areas—Formative Assessment (30%) and Summative Assessment (70%).

 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT (THE JOURNEY)    (30%)
1)      Academic Binder—for evidence of applying feedback in order to develop understanding, enhance laboratory technique, and  improve critical reasoning skills

WHY?      

Þ      promotes follow-up

Þ     provides enrichment

Þ     encourages initiative and responsibility for completing a task

Þ     reveals relevance with rigor

Þ     establishes a springboard for thinking, new thinking and rethinking of ideas

Þ     develops a need to answer this question: “What is it that you want out of this course...AP Biology?”

Þ     promotes the creation of a plan of action to achieve your goal

Þ     encourages students to ask for help in developing goals and pursuing plans

Þ     organizes assignments and class activities—problem sets, handouts, lecture notes, guest speaker notes, case study notes, class discussion highlights, current news and research materials

2)       Annotations, textbook readings; supplemental hands-on, mind-on laboratory investigations; and metacognitive thoughts on results from self, peer and instructor reviewed assessments, concept mapping—“Draw what you saw and ink what you think!”

WHY?

Þ     leads the student on a unique journey of self-exploration and discovery

Þ     encourages the student to explore personal values, self-talk and ethical issues

Þ     develops writing skills and encourages writing fluency

Þ     stretches the imagination and forms neural connections

Þ     promotes organizational skills and behaviors

Þ     indicates daily dedication to AP Biology

Þ     creates a wonderful study guide for unit tests, essays, quizzes

3)      Laboratory Pre-Lab, Prediction Pieces, Lab Design, Lab Data Collection, Data analysis, Post-Lab,  and Problem Sets

WHY?

Þ     provides insight into the student’s ability to explore, wonder and be curious about science concepts

Þ     encourages the development of probing questions—what is unknown, what is thought to be known, and what is not even known to ask

Þ     examines assumptions and uses science concepts as tools and triggers to stimulate thinking

Þ     builds from class experiences

Þ     provides feedback on learning progression

4)     Directed Free Writes, Practice Essay Pieces, Concept Mapping, Pre-Writing Activities

      WHY?

Þ     encourages use of complex languaging—clarity, fluency, and use of science concepts

Þ     promotes the skill of developing a rubric—scoring guide

Þ     assays the thinking strategies and scientific processes and concepts—clarifies the problem, predicts effects of variables, forms relationships, makes connections, integrates learning, applies ideas, explores implication and consequences...

5)     Anecdotal Evidences: teaming and collaborating during laboratory investigations and class dialogue and debate

WHY?

Þ     promotes understanding and being understood

Þ     invites sharing ideas, insights, and perspectives

Þ     develops confidence as student’s express ideas

Þ     promotes a free-exchange of ideas creating a warm, friendly learning environment

Þ     encourages students to participate in their learning and create their classroom culture

Þ     provides instant peer feedback through the peer review process

Þ     encourages a free-exchange of ideas and sharing of multiple perspectives as students work to broaden possibilities and brainstorm

Þ     integrates learning from different areas into a plan for solving problems and addressing issues

Þ     sparks excitement for group and individual successes

Þ     invites sharing, caring, peer study groups

Þ     promotes the development of interpersonal skills and behaviors

 SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (THE LEARNING)    (70%)
1)      Research Projects: I-Search (1 per quarter, working independently and/or in pairs)

WHY?

Þ     stimulates the application of core learnings in many and varied contexts making learning fun through authentic assessment

Þ     connects the curriculum with real world relevance

Þ     supports differentiation

Þ     develops insight, a vision for the future and world-changing applications

Þ     encourages expression of ideas in many and varied ways

2)   Unit Tests and Exams / Free Response Essays [based on AP Test format]

WHY?

Þ     encourages students to process and apply core concepts

Þ     assesses the student’s ability to predict, form relationships, make connections, see patterns

Þ     surveys the student’s understanding of the unit’s core concepts

Þ     serves as a springboard for discussion, clarification, rethinking

3)   Lab Analysis/Synthesis Pieces (Individual) or Lab Analysis / Discussions/ Multimedia/Whiteboard Presentations (Group) or Lab Practical

WHY?

Þ     uses science processes as tools and triggers for pursuing root questions, solving problems and creating new ones

Þ     explores implications, consequences and applications

Þ     assesses student’s ability to clarify the problem, acknowledge multiple variables, predict effects of variables, form relationships, and test and retest ideas

Þ     promotes careful and creative use of lab equipment for problem solving

Þ     explores student’s ability to reason and solve problems

Þ     surveys the student’s application of unit core processes

Þ     judges the adequacy with which conclusions are supported with data

Þ     examines the student’s use of the core concepts

Þ     encourages thinking like a scientist

Quarter Grade Scale

semester grade for each semester of the course will include the:

Þ     first quarter (40%)

Þ     second quarter (40%)

Þ     mid-term assessment (20%)

Þ     third quarter (40%)

Þ     fourth quarter (40%)

Þ     final assessment (20%)

Assessments are evaluated in many and varied ways. Some assessments are graded using a numeric grading scale and others are graded holistically using a rubric. These rubrics will vary according to the assessment.