Welcome to Economics Grades 10-12!  On this blog I will post links to Google docs we are using in class, or assignments to be downloaded or just interesting information about Economics in general. My first blog post is really just an overview of what the class will be about and some basic guidelines, though we will talk about this in class, so don't worry about memorizing all of it.

• Welcome to Economics!!!!!!  Over the coming school year, I will be attaching the textbook chapters that will be utilized for this class.  There is no physical textbook that you will have carry around with you; the entire textbook consists of .pdf files for each chapter that you will download as we cover the relevant material from a specific chapter.  Create a folder for this class and keep all downloaded materials in that folder so that you can easily access them when they are needed in class.  Although we will not use the book very much in class, you should have a copy to refer to for test and course material that needs to be reviewed for any upcoming tests or quizzes.  I will also be attaching a overview of the course expectations that we will go over on the first day of class.

• Three ring notebook
• Folder for all returned Assignments, quizzes, projects etc.
• Lined paper and spiral notebook
• Pens, pencils, and erasers
• Highlighters
• Textbook Chapters [.pdf files], handouts, outside reading materials as  assigned

Also below (from the RIS Assessment Manual, are the student responsibilities for this course (and all others):  I will discuss briefly but you might want to review the manual itsself, which I have attached, especially the items on Academic Integrity and Grading for Exams.
Student Responsibilities:

Students are expected to use assessment as a means to improve their own
learning. It is, therefore, the responsibility of students to:

• Make full use of assessment as an opportunity to
demonstrate and improve their knowledge and skills.
• Have a clear understanding of all assessment
expectations, evaluation descriptors, and exemplars
provided.
• Know the balance between and relative weighting of
formative and summative assessments.
• Be open and active in assessing their own progress.
• Communicate openly and honestly with their teachers
and parents about assessment.
• Take advantage of their teachers’ professional
knowledge, judgment, and counsel.
• Meet all assessment expectations and deadlines to the
best of their abilities.
• Be familiar with the school’s Expected Schoolwide
Learning Results and IB Learner Profile, and look for
meaningful connections in and outside the classroom.
• Maintain a high level of personal and academic
integrity.

Also, with regard to grading (especially weighting of final exams):

*All coursework subject to evaluation must be

divided into Major and Minor Assessments, synonymous with Summative and Formative.

*Major Assessments should be weighted at 45% and Minor Assessments at 25% of the mark for a Quarter. Exam counts for 30% of the final grade.

*Major Assessments should occur two to four times per Quarter. Minor Assessments should occur more frequently, consistent with instructional goals and on-going support of learning.

*All core academic courses – English, Mathematics, Science, Modern Language, and Social Science – must include semester exams, that should be weighted at 20% of the final mark for Grades 9 and 10.

Finally, with reference to Academic Integrity:

Academic Integrity is an essential ethical value in all educational
institutions and a fundamental expectation at Ruamrudee. Consistent with
the school’s Expected Schoolwide Learning Results and the IB Learner
Profile, all students at RIS are expected to demonstrate a high degree of
integrity. A student who demonstrates a high degree of Academic
Integrity:

• Arrives at class on time and prepared to learn.
• Attends all classes unless excused for good cause.
• Completes all assignments to the best of his/her ability.
• Submits all assignments on time unless granted an extension.
• Prepares well for course activities and assessments.
• Takes full advantage of all learning opportunities.
• Refrains from all acts of cheating and plagiarism.
 

Breaches of Academic Integrity do harm to the individual student and
affect both assessment and evaluation. Because these also threaten the
integrity of the learning community as a whole, such breaches cannot go
unaddressed.

The most serious breaches of Academic Integrity are excessive
unexcused absence from class, failure to submit assigned work, and
academic dishonesty. Each of these infractions carries with it
consequences that could ultimately result in the denial of academic credit.

Unexcused Absence

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes in which they are
registered except in cases of:

• Illness.
• Family or personal emergency.

• Important personal or family matters that cannot be seen to outside school hours.

• Attendance at school-sponsored events.

• Other reasons approved by the school administration.

Absence is considered excessive when it exceeds 10% of the instructional time of a course.

Any student who misses an excessive number of classes in any course,
unless excused for cause by the administration, will have an Incomplete,
with a Grade Point of zero, assigned for the course. Regardless of the
level of achievement attained through assessment, credit will thereafter
be granted only upon successful completion of Credit Recovery.

Failure to Submit Assigned Work:
Students are expected to submit all assigned work on or before the established due date.