• Middle School ELA - 2022-2023

    Dr. Di Vetta                                                  

    Email: tdivetta@amphi.com

    Phone: 696-6189 *Email is the best way to reach me. I am unable to answer phone calls during learning time. 

    Student Office Time: Mon, Tues, and Thursday: 2:30-3:00 pm; Other times by appointment only.


    Grading Criteria           (the grade weight may differ slightly based on your course)                                                                                       

    Edgenuity                              80%                                    

    *Schoology                             20%

    100-90% = A          89-80% = B          79-70% = C          69-60% = D          59% = F                                                     

    Notes:

    *All students will be required to complete Schoology assignments. These assignments are supplemental to the Edgenuity program, and they will count as 20% of students' final quarter grades. These assignments will include a LIVE lesson session on Mondays and intervention/novel study time. You will find a schedule for these LIVE sessions in the Schoology classroom. 

    *The learning time spent on Schoology activities will count toward students' Weekly Minutes Log.

    Communication 

    *Make sure you stay logged into your ID#@student.amphi.com account

    • The preferred way of communication with me is by email -  tdivetta@amphi.com. 
    • Please do not email to ask for quizzes and tests to be unlocked unless a significant amount of time (1-2 hours) has passed, and you need your test unlocked. I watch for assignments that need to be unlocked regularly.
    • I am not available to unlock quizzes and tests after school hours. Please keep in mind that I do have Advisory and language arts sessions each morning. Please be patient. 
    • You cannot create any threads in your Schoology classroom. I will begin a new thread each morning for announcements and quick questions.
    • Please do not leave questions concerning assignments on Schoology threads. You should email me, come to office hours, or set-up an appointment. 
    • ZOOM links will be posted in the Schoology classroom. 

    Where do I find my course?

    • The website for you to log in is student.edgenuity.com; your login information is yourstudentid@student.amphi.com; your password is your first name with the first letter capitalized.
    • You will watch videos on each topic, take notes, then use your notes to take and pass a quiz. You may choose to take notes on paper and pencil or on your computer. The more effort you put into your notes, the better your grade will be.
    • At the end of each chapter, you will take a Unit/Topic Test that contains all the concepts you learned in that chapter. In addition, there is one final cumulative exam based on the entire course (keep your notes handy!).

    Taking Notes

    • Notes are required in all Edgenuity courses. 
    • You may choose to take your notes by hand, but you should include more than words and definitions. 
    • You may choose to use Edgenuity's guided notes. You may print these out, or you can use the Kami program to complete these notes online. 
    • Please reach out to me if you have questions or would like help with taking notes on your coursework. 

    Grading

    • Edgenuity Learning Management System automatically keeps a record of your current grade based on weight categories for completed Assignments, Quizzes, and Tests. You can see your grade by logging in to student.edgenuity.com.
    • Quiz: 10 questions at the end of each section. All work needs to be shown in a dedicated notebook and you may be asked to show your notes at any time. In other words, your notes may help you, and they may also help me to pinpoint where you are having difficulty in your learning.  
    • Edgenuity Unit Tests (Read about Test expectations under What are the Test/Exam Rules?  further in this document).

    What are the general rules for Edgenuity?

    • All quizzes, tests, and final exams will be locked and will require a teacher to unlock them.
    • Time limits: Quiz: 60 minutes, Test: 120 minutes, Final Exam: 180 minutes.
    • I will be available to answer questions, unlock items, etc., during your assigned school day.
    • You will be required to maintain an appropriate pacing schedule (weekly Zoom meetings will help us check and connect).

    How do I get credit?

    • Your teacher can ask for evidence of your work (i.e. notes, handwritten work, etc.) before counting a quiz, test, exam, or final grade. This could be before, during, or after a quiz/test/final. You should have a notebook for language arts.
    • You may not ask for the teacher's help while taking a quiz, test, or exam. You should complete all the questions on your own without help from your teacher, family, or friends. 
    • You should attend the LIVE lesson on Thursdays because the lesson will go over the assignments in Schoology. The assignments in Schoology will be entered into the "additional" category of your final grade. 
    • You should plan to attend Advisory, LIVE lessons, and intervention / novel study time.
    • Once you complete your Edgenuity course, you may be asked to turn in your notebook for verification. Your notebook should contain all the notes that you took from the videos, as well as quiz and test work, labeled by question and topic. I will verify that all the work is your own before submitting your credit to the office.

    What are the quiz rules?

    • Before each quiz is unlocked, you may have to show your completed guided notes/send a photo of your notes for that section. Your notes must include examples.
    • You may need to submit why one wrong answer was not correct for every quiz question. You may also be asked to explain why the right answer is correct. An interview may serve as tutoring to raise a failing quiz grade to 60%.
    • If you are asked to explain how you completed a problem, your answer can’t simply be, “I used the reading passage” or “I didn’t understand.” Be specific. Include evidence from your notes, assignments, and readings. In the case of reading, if you can tell me where you are specifically having difficulty with a text, I can provide you with better support. 
    • You may be asked to participate in a Zoom interview for quizzes and tests that are attempted twice and receive 60% or lower. 

     What are the Test/Exam Rules?

    • Before each unit/topic test and final exam, you will be required to pass the test review with 60% or better and show work for the review. An interview may be required.
    • After your test/exam, you may be required to pass an interview over a video conference where you will be asked to explain problems that your teacher chooses from the test (regardless of your grade). If you are unable to explain, refuse to participate, or make up an excuse regarding why you can’t participate, you will receive a score of 50% on the test and all quizzes.
    • If you want a test retake due to receiving a 50% from the situation outlined above or a failed attempt, your test review will be reset and you will have to re-do it, and then participate in a conference before retaking it to show that you are ready.  

     What is Cheating? Cheating includes, but is not limited to:

    • Giving your guided notes/notes to someone to copy or claim as their own
    • Using Google or other online apps to solve the problems for you, copying the steps, and then claiming you did the work
    • Using Google to copy explanations of concepts and claim them as your own explanations
    • Copying and pasting writing and ideas from any source. Your ideas should be your own. Remember, we can check for plagiarism. 
    • Using apps/websites/videos of any kind to solve problems during a timed assessment
    • Using Google to copy and paste Edgenuity questions to try to look up the answer
    • Sharing quiz/test answers with others through any means (screenshots, texting, etc.)
    • Getting someone else to take a quiz/test for you
    • Getting help from someone else while you are taking a quiz/test
    • Edgenuity tracks your active work time and when you log in. You must work for the duration of your assigned period. Attendance will be taken using this session log or Zoom.

    What happens if I cheat or am caught cheating?

    • You may receive 50% on the assignment/quiz/test.
    • You may have to re-do the assignment/quiz/test.
    • You may have to restart your chapter (lose all of your progress).
    • You may have your quizzes supervised from that point on.
    • You may have required conferencing/video conferencing with the teacher before each quiz.
    • Acts of plagiarism will receive a score of zero. 

     

    Always do your personal best. Always be willing to try. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you do these three things, you will be off to a great start! Remember, I am here to help!

    Dr. Di Vetta