Back to School Night: Last weeks letter

I am Jamie Zartler, and I currently get to teach your child Government, and I will be teaching them economics next semester..

I want to share with you the most important information for success in my class.

Contacting me via email is generally fast and effective; my email is jzartler@pps.net You can also phone me at 503.916.5160 x75-700 but, you will often here back sooner from an email.

I keep a blog to help students (and their families) keep track of what is going on in class. Most days I post what happened in class. Assignments and due dates are generally posted when assigned. The blog will not substitute for a student being in class, however.

My blog address ishttp://zartlergovecon.blogspot.com/

My syllabus, which includes grading policies, and other details about class is available on my school staff page athttp://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/grant/835.htmIf there is no current link to the syllabus, it will be present again in a day.

The most important thing to understand about grading in my classes is that I try to grade students primarily on proficiency. Proficiency is the successful demonstration of skills and knowledge. 75% of a student’s letter grade is based on their demonstration of skills and knowledge. Often students can make a second (and VERY rarely additional) attempt(s) to demonstrate their proficiency. 15% of a student’s grade is based on them demonstrating the skills of successful students (and workers) e.g. meeting deadlines for work, working in successfully in groups, coming prepared; most of the “points” in this category however are based on meeting deadlines in order that there is little subjectivity around awarding them. 10% of a students grade is based on their doing the “formative” work (e.g. homework, etc.) that helps them learn.

Perhaps I will see you this coming Monday, September 21st at 6:00 at our Open House.

If not, I hope to be in contact with you about the success of your son or daughter at some point soon. If you have any concerns about their success, or lack of success, please reach out to me by email or phone.

Thank you,

Jamie Zartler