AP Language Policy

Introduction

This course is designed to accommodate the exceptional student of Language Arts who may elect this course to fulfill the Eleventh Grade Language Arts graduation requirement. Due to DCPS policy, all juniors enrolled at Paxon SAS are required to take this course.  This is a college-level course that prepares the student for the Advanced Placement Test. Students should be aware of the rigor, intensity, and scope required of this course. The students will be required to complete summer reading and writing assignments and a research project designated by the instructor. This course will further develop students' abilities as skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and as skilled analysts and writers who can compose in a variety of modes and for a variety of purposes. The writing content will focus upon both brief and lengthy expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. Readings will include works written by famous authors of fiction, autobiographers, biographers, diarists, critics, essayists, journalists, and writers of history, politics, science, and nature. Because of the level of difficulty, the grade for this course is weighted.  Students are required to take the AP course exam in May.  The semester consists of multiple-choice questions taken from a previously administered AP exam and, at the teacher’s discretion, one or more AP essays.  The final exam for this course will be a previously administered AP exam and will consist of a multiple-choice test and multiple timed essays.

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Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

·          Analyze and interpret samples of good writing;

·          Identify and explain an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;

·          Apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing;

·          Create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience;

·          Demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity of their own writings;

·          Write in a variety of genres and contexts, both formal and informal, employing appropriate conventions;

·          Produce expository, analytical and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with appropriate specific evidence, cogent explanations, and clear transitions;

·          Move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and research, drafting, citing sources, revising, editing, and evaluation.

The standards listed above are taken from the AP English Language and Composition Course Description (the “Acorn” book).

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Walden by Henry David Thoreau-8/18/08 exam only; reread for 10/21/08  (will be studied and analyzed during 2nd quarter)                                                            

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Required Materials

Students will need the following: a collegiate dictionary and a thesaurus (at home), regular access to a word processor and the internet, dark black or blue ink pens for all written assignments, reams of paper, a sturdy 3-ring binder with dividers in which to keep class materials, a supply of Post-It notes to be used for various assignments, good time management skills, and the assigned literary work which must be brought to class every day.   Because we live in an era in which access to the internet is no longer a luxury, each student should be able to access my classroom website in order to obtain handouts, assignments, deadlines, notices, and other information pertinent to his or her success in this course.  Any student who does not have access to the internet at home must consider one or more of the following options:

·         Use the computers in the school library before school, after school, or during lunch time;

·         Call a friend who has internet access and get the required information from him or her;

·         Make an appointment to see me during after school help day sessions and access my site via my classroom computer.  Bring your own paper if you plan to print any materials from my classroom computers.

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Work Load 

This is a college-level course which prepares students for the Advanced Placement Test. Students should be aware of the rigor, intensity, and scope demanded of students in this course. The students will be required to complete a challenging summer reading/writing project and a college-level research paper during the school year.  This course will further develop students' abilities as skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and as skilled analysts and writers who can compose in a variety of modes and for a variety of purposes. The writing content will focus upon both brief and lengthy analytical and argumentative essays. Readings will include works written by famous authors of fiction, autobiographers, biographers, diarists, critics, essayists, journalists, and writers of history, politics, science, and nature.  Students will have some sort of AP Language homework on most nights, weekends, and holidays.  Students who enter the course with deficiencies in reading and/or writing may experience difficulties.  Each student who does not read at or above grade level will find some of the reading assignments and most of the AP multiple-choice passages to be difficult.  Students who have not passed previous FCAT tests (reading and/or writing) with scores of 4 or above will find this course noticeably more difficult than previous English courses they have taken.  Students who experience difficulty passing the tests, essays, and other assignments should plan on attending multiple help day sessions with me.  Students who have deficiencies in spelling, grammar, and mechanics must remediate their weaknesses through the handouts given in class, website links provided on my web site, or with remedial workbooks available for purchase at many bookstores throughout town.

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Student Expectations, Progress toward Standards, Safety Nets, and Grade Recovery

                 Yearly, the Development Committee of the AP College Board prepares a three-hour English examination that gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the skills and abilities required in a typical freshman-level college English course.  The AP Examination in English Language and Composition employs multiple-choice questions to test the students’ skills in analyzing the rhetoric of prose passages.  Students are also asked to demonstrate their skill in composition directly by writing several essays in various rhetorical modes.  Although the skills tested in the examination remain essentially the same, there may be some variation in the types or formats of the essay questions from year to year. 

In this AP course, a student’s quarterly grade will be determined primarily by his or her success in the following types of assignments:  AP-level multiple-choice tests, timed essays based on past AP prompts, research assignments that prepare the student to successfully write a synthesis essay, tests that challenge students to obtain a college-level vocabulary, tests that check the students’ understanding of assigned reading assignments, writing assignments that challenge students to master necessary skills required for success on the AP exam, and group projects that require students to work together towards a common goal. 

Per Paxon SAS administration and DCPS, the attendance policy states the following:

In order to earn a passing quarter grade in a course, a student who misses more than four (4) classes, not including school-related absences, will be required to pass a comprehensive quarter exam or project, in addition to having an overall passing grade for the quarter. A student must be in class for at least half the period to be considered present.

Any of my students who miss more than four (4) classes during any quarter will take an exam on a designated testing day.  The exam will cover concepts and skills taught up to that particular point in the school year.  In order to be eligible to take the exam, the student must first have a passing grade (60% of all possible points or better).  If any student misses my class due to school-related absences, the student must provide documentation (a note or list of attendees signed by the teacher) to me in a timely manner.  The student must pass the exam to maintain his or her quarter average.  If the student fails the exam, the student’s quarter grade will be reduced by one letter grade.

                Safety nets designed for this course include, but are not excluded to, the revising of essays (the revision process includes class sessions of peer evaluations, self evaluations, modeling, and teacher commentary), the repeated practice of necessary AP skills through in-class and homework assignments, “completion grades” and “attendance grades” that allow the student to earn relatively “easy grades” while learning how to acquire and use the rhetorical skills required of this course, and available one-on-one tutoring during teacher’s designated help days.     

School Board policy requires that I offer you the opportunity for “grade recovery.”  In order for you to have the chance to recover your grade, you must complete all of the required written assignments in a timely and satisfactory manner and attend at least three (3) help sessions in the quarter in which you desire grade recovery. If you meet those two requirements, I will offer you a grade recovery exam.  The date on which the AP grade recovery exam will be administered will be determined based on my availability.  Failure to take the AP exam on the date administered will automatically disqualify you from the grade recovery process.  Participation in the grade recovery process does not guarantee a grade change.  If all requirements are successfully completed and you pass the grade recovery exam, an “F” or a “D” may be changed to a higher grade based on the level of mastery evidenced by the student’s score on the grade recovery exam.  Because the exam includes a complete multiple-choice test and multiple essays, the exam will take 2-3 hours to complete.  Come prepared with pencils, pens, and plenty of paper. No other previous tests may be retaken for the purposes of the grade recovery process because the comprehensive grade recovery exam will suffice as a substitute for any and all previously administered tests. 

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Student Integrity and Decorum 

                All students are here to learn and make adequate progress toward meeting the course standards.  Therefore, students are expected to be active participants in the learning process and uphold the academic integrity policy.  Students are also expected to maintain an acceptable level of behavior.  Since disruptive behavior is a disservice to the learning process, those students engaging in such behavior will be dealt with according to teacher, school, and county policies.   While there will be ample opportunities for students to collaborate on some assignments, each student must be aware that he or she is required to submit original work free from plagiarism.  Any assignment deemed to be plagiarized will receive a zero and may jeopardize the student’s eligibility for grade recovery.  Furthermore, the student will be referred to Student Services for refusal to adhere to the Honor Code.  No electronic devices may be used during class.  More and more, electronic devices can be used for cheating.  Appropriate action will be taken if electronic devices are used; such action may include assigning a grade of zero, giving the device to the dean, and/or writing a referral.

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Miscellaneous Class Policies and Procedures

Ÿ          Punctuality is essential.  Late work is unacceptable; absences can be detrimental.

Ÿ          All homework must be typed. If a student experiences unavoidable technical glitches, a handwritten homework assignment will be accepted if accompanied by a note of explanation from a parent/guardian.

Ÿ          Under no circumstance will I accept work written in pencil.  Such work will receive a grade of zero and may not be resubmitted at a later date.

Ÿ          Late assignments will receive a failing grade: 50% per day late.  The late penalty begins immediately upon the day and period it is not submitted.  Each day of school is counted toward the penalty; therefore, a student who waits until the next meeting date of class has already accrued a 100% penalty since it will have been two school days since the original due date of the assignment.  A student who is legitimately absent on the due date of an assignment is not penalized.  He or she must submit the assignment upon the return to my class with an acceptable  note.  At the top of all make-up work (tests included), the student must write a note informing the teacher why the work is being submitted on a date later than the assignment was originally due.  Failure to provide the note will result in a 5-point grade penalty.

Ÿ          Long-term research paper assignments must be submitted on their original due dates.  Even “legitimate” absences can affect their scores.  Because the assignments are long-term ones, your careful planning is required to avoid last-minute panics of anxiety if/when something goes wrong.  Don’t come to me after the fact with a sob story.  I am warning you now that your research paper assignments must be submitted on time.

Ÿ          THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS IN THIS CLASS.  All reading and writing assignments should be completed in order to gain the skills necessary to pass the AP exam in May.

Ÿ          Due to the availability of my class website, all assignments and tests missed due to absences will be posted.  Students are required to access the site to get any missed work.  Submit the assigned work upon your immediate return to class.  If computer troubles prevent you from getting the information from my website, you must call a classmate to get the information.  All absences require you to return to class with the necessary assignments ready to be submitted.  I strongly suggest that you take home all notebooks and texts related to this class because you may need them in case of an unexpected absence.  If I fail to post the necessary information on my website, you will be allowed to acquire the assignment instructions upon your return and submit the work to me for full credit during the next class period.

Ÿ          If the student misses a test due to an absence, the student will be required to take the test upon the day of his or her return to class (unless the instructor determines that other matters take precedence).  Any written assignments due on the day of the absence must be submitted on the day that the student returns from the absence.  At the top of all make-up work (tests included), the student must write a note informing the teacher why the work is being submitted on a date later than the assignment was originally due.  Failure to provide the note will result in a 5-point grade penalty.

Ÿ          Since my class requires many and frequent types of AP test preparatory assignments, attendance is vital.  I assign a 5-point attendance grade for each day of class and assign those points to students who attend class and bring the required materials.  Therefore, I have added the following requirement for my course.  If you are absent from my class, you cannot prepare for the exam in the same way that the rest of the class prepares itself.  In order for you to receive the 5 attendance points, you will be responsible for submitting a typed response to the topic of the day.  Your typed response is due on the day of your return to class.  The daily topic will be posted on my website: http://teacherweb.com/FL/PaxonSchoolforAdvancedStudies/JonNerf/.  I suggest you call a classmate if you do not have Internet access.  The typed response will be required in addition to any regular homework that may have been assigned in class.  Failure to submit the typed daily topic assignment in a timely manner will result in the forfeiture of the student’s  5 daily attendance points.

Ÿ          If a student misses school for an extended period of time due to illness, I will work with him/her in order to alleviate the burden brought on by the extenuating circumstances.  A parent/teacher conference, in person or by telephone, must be initiated prior to the student’s return to school.  I can be reached at 693-7583 ext. 189.

·          Unless you provide a doctor’s note, I restrict access to the hall pass for emergencies only.  A student may use the pass three times per quarter.  The student may not use the pass to retrieve items from a locker.  The student must use his or her own planner as a hall pass. Any student who is out of the room for an inordinate amount of time may receive a referral for skipping class.

Ÿ          Cliffs Notes and other analytical aides are no substitute for reading the literature.  Do not bring them to class.  I will confiscate such materials.

Ÿ          Grades will be determined by a points system.  Generally speaking, points will be awarded as follows:  Daily grade—5 points each day; Seminar grade—50 or 20 points for each assigned topic; Homework/In-class assignment—20 points each assignment; Test grade—50 or 100 points each test; Research grade: Preliminary assignments—100 points/ Final draft—500 points; Essay grades—100 points each essay.

Ÿ          If you or your parents have any questions regarding the required reading assignments please make an appointment to meet with me as soon as possible.

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Composition Format

Ÿ          Homework assignments must be typed. They must be double-spaced with standard 1” margins and have a 12-point Times New Roman font. At the top left of the first page, use the MLA format for headings: on four separate lines in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course and period, and the date.  All successive pages must have your last name and page number at the top right.

Ÿ          Two valuable bits of advice: keep a copy of each essay and always have a rough draft of some type.

Ÿ          Many tears have been shed over computers that have crashed, wiping out days worth of work. Prepare for potential problems.

Ÿ          All in-class essays, including timed writings, must be legibly written on one side of the page in dark black or blue ink with the appropriate MLA heading at top left of the front page.  If I can’t read your writing, I can’t properly evaluate it.  You may be asked to take the assignment home and type it for me.  If so, your grade will be reduced by 5-10% because I could not read it when it was originally submitted.

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TEACHER ACCESSIBILITY

Conference Periods

Ÿ          “A” DAY - 8:15-9:55 AM

Ÿ          “B” DAY- 8:15-9:55 AM

Help Day Sessions

Ÿ          Monday – Thursday afternoons from 3:30-4:00 by appointment only

Internet Accessibility

Find helpful information on our class website: http://teacherweb.com/FL/PaxonSchoolforAdvancedStudies/JonNerf/.

You may email me directly at nerfj@duvalschools.org. 

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AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION

PARENTAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

This course is designed to accommodate the exceptional student of Language Arts. This is a college-level course that prepares students for the Advanced Placement Test. Due to district policy, all juniors attending Paxon School for Advanced Studies are required to enroll in an AP Language and Composition course.  Parents and students should be aware of the rigor, intensity, and scope required of this course. The students are required to complete summer reading projects and a college-level research paper. This course will further develop students' abilities as skilled readers and as skilled writers who can analyze published works and compose their own written works in a variety of modes and for a variety of purposes. The writing content will focus upon both brief and lengthy expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. Readings will include works written by famous authors of fiction, autobiographers, biographers, diarists, critics, essayists, journalists, and writers of history, politics, science, and nature. Because of the subject matter read in this college-level course, parents are asked to read the list of required literary works in the syllabus and give their consent to the reading material.  This course culminates with the administration of the AP exam in early May.  Every student is required to sit for the exam.

I have provided a comprehensive Policy and Syllabus handout for my course.  You and your child should read all parts of it together and discuss the policies therein.  If you have any questions about my policies, please call guidance to set up a Parent-Teacher conference.  We can meet face-to-face or via telephone.  You may forego the guidance office and email me directly at nerfj@duvalschools.org.

After each of the major divisions on my Policy and Syllabus handout, I have inserted a place for you, the parent, to initial.  Your initials provide to me your acknowledgement that you have read my handout and understand my expectations and requirements.

Furthermore, I require your permission for your child to read, study and discuss the literature required of this course.  If you are unfamiliar with any of the works listed, you might want to go to an Internet site, such as Amazon.com, that provides summary information about such works of literature.  Complete the form below and indicate whether or not your child has permission to read all of the required works of literature. 

I, ________________________________________ , the parent/guardian of

                        Print parent’s/guardian’s name

________________________________________ ,             

Print student’s name

(Circle or highlight one of the bulleted items below)

• AGREE to allow my child to read the works of literature on the syllabus.

• HAVE RESERVATIONS about some aspects of the syllabus. Please note my concerns, which I have written and attached to this form.

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Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature                                                 Date

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Student’s Signature                                                                     Class Period