GSE FOUNDATIONS OF ALGEBRA/ALGEBRA I
COURSE SYLLABUS 2015
MRS. POOLE
HARRISON HIGH SCHOOL
*The course syllabus is to be kept in the front of your notebook
HOYA PRIDE – Helping Our Youth Achieve by Providing Relevant Instruction for a Diverse Environment
TEACHERS: Lucia Poole (Room 9226)
lucia.poole@cobbk12.org (best method of contact)
Teacher Blog can be found online at harrisonhigh.org
School Phone: 678-594-8104 Ext. # 2226
Extra Help: Tues. and Thurs 3:35 – 4:05 Room 9226
Melissa Churchill
Melissa.churchill@cobbk12.org
Extra Help: Mon & Wed 3:30-4:15 Room 9111
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is a two semester course which will be divided into two
sections. The first semester students will complete the Foundations of Algebra course and the second
semester students will complete the Algebra I course.
Foundations of Algebra is a first year high school mathematics course option for students who have
completed mathematics in grades 6 – 8 yet will need substantial support to bolster success in high school
mathematics. The course is aimed at students who have reported low standardized test performance in
prior grades and/or have demonstrated significant difficulties in previous mathematics classes. The
Foundations of Algebra course contains five modules which are designed to build the necessary
mathematical skills to complete Algebra I. These modules will be embedded into the units taught during
the first semester.
Students will complete the remaining units of GSE Algebra I during the Algebra I course in the second
semester. Algebra I is the first course in a sequence of three required high school courses designed to
ensure career and college readiness. The course represents a discrete study of algebra with correlated
statistics applications. The standards in the three-course high school sequence specify the mathematics
that all students should study in order to be college and career ready. Additional mathematics content is
provided in fourth credit courses and advanced courses including pre-calculus, calculus, advanced
statistics, discrete mathematics, and mathematics of finance courses. High school course content
standards are listed by conceptual categories including Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions,
Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Conceptual categories portray a coherent view of high school
mathematics content; a student’s work with functions, for example, crosses a number of traditional course
boundaries, potentially up through and including calculus. Students will take the GSE Algebra I
Milestones Exam in the Spring of 2016. Standards for Mathematical Practice provide the foundation for
instruction and assessment. GSE Algebra I Standards can be found online at:
www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/Pages/Math-9-12.aspx
GRADING POLICY
Tests – 50%
Quizzes –15%
Classwork – 10%
Homework – 5%
*Milestones EOC – 20%
*MidTerm and Final Exam will count
as a Test Grade
*GSE ALGEBRA I MILESTONES EOC: A cumulative exam will be given in the Spring of 2016. The
exam is a summative assessment of a student’s mastery of the state standards, as well as a determination
of academic growth. It is imperative that students are prepared and ready for this exam. The exam will
count 20% of the students overall average and will replace a traditional Final Exam. If the State decides
that the EOC will be benchmarked and not scored, a Final Exam and Exam Review will be given.
***Please be aware that grades are earned by each student, not negotiated at the end of the
semester. Give your absolute maximum effort to start earning the grades you would like to achieve
at the beginning of the semester. There is NO special extra credit for individuals****
MATERIALS NEEDED:
2 – Three Ring Binders (1” and a ½”)
Dividers with Tabs for both notebooks
Loose Leaf and Graphing Paper
TI 84 Graphing Calculator
Pencils (No pens)
Colored Pencils
Highlighter
*A Graphing calculator is crucial to the success of every student at Harrison High School. Each mathematics course
will require one and it is something that will be useful each year at Harrison. The Milestone EOC will have an
online TI-84 graphing calculator for student use and it will be the only calculator available to him/her.
HOMEWORK: Homework will be given often throughout the week. It is an important part of mathematics as it
is preparation and practice for assessments. The purpose of homework is to practice skills and demonstrate
understanding of concepts learned in class. Students must take responsibility for completing homework and showing
effort when it is assigned. It is the student’s responsibility to finish the homework and turn in the entire assignment
(completed, with work shown) the following day. Homework will be checked daily and be given a completion grade
of full, half, or zero credit. ALL ASSIGNED PROBLEMS MUST BE PROPERLY ATTEMPTED TO RECEIVE
FULL CREDIT.
CLASS BLOG/REMIND 101: The class blog (found on the Harrison High School website) will allow
students and parents to see the weekly agenda for the class, download assignments/notes/activities, and
view upcoming tests or quizzes. Remind 101 is a reminder service used to send important reminders (ie.
Upcoming tests, quizzes, changes to agenda, etc.) via text message or email. Sign up for text alerts:
3rd Period Students/parents
_____
Send a text to: 81010 or 678.590.1938
Send the message: @57c1b
ATTENDANCE/ABSENCES: Attendance to school is imperative to a student’s success. The easiest
way for a student to fall behind in mathematics is being absent to class. Only students with an excused
absence will be allowed to make up missed word. If a student is absent from class, it is the student’s
responsibility to obtain the assignment/notes that he/she missed from the make-up folder or class blog
upon return. If further explanation of the lesson that was missed is needed, the student may be asked to
come before school or stay after school for assistance. Once a student receives an assignment, the
assignment is to be turned in within 3 days or it will be late and only given ½ credit. If a student is absent
for more than one day, the student has up to 5 school days to turn in the missing assignments. If a student
is absent on the day of a test/quiz, he/she must make arrangements to make up the assignment within two
days. All make up quizzes and tests will be given after school or before school with prior notification. All
Test and Quizzes must be made up before the start of the next Unit. Students will be allowed to perform
test/quiz corrections or retake a quiz or test due to a low grade. However, a student will only receive
partial credit for each correction and/or retake quiz or test. Corrections/Retakes MUST be done before
school or during after school assistance.
EXPECTATIONS/CODE OF CONDUCT
BE A HOYA
H- HARDWORKING
O- ORGANIZED
Y- YIELDING
A- ACTIVE LEARNER
CLASS RULES:
BE PREPARED AND ON TIME
NO CELL PHONES WITHOUT TEACHER PERMISSION
BE RESPECTFUL
BE RESPONSIBLE
CELL PHONES:
This is a cellphone free class UNLESS I have given instruction that they will be used for an activity.
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1st offense – Warning
2nd offense – Phone kept until the end of class/End of School Day
3rd offense – Detention
4th offense – 1 Day ISS
5th (plus more) offense – 2 Days ISS
PARENTS AND STUDENTS: PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINKS TO ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT YOU HAVE READ THE SYLLABUS AND TO PROVIDE ME WITH YOUR EMAIL
ADDRESS. WHEN I RECEIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM BOTH YOU AND YOUR PARENT
YOU WILL RECEIVE A HOMEWORK PASS.
STUDENTS: HTTP://GOO.GL/FORMS/M6A94OLT9U
PARENTS: HTTP://GOO.GL/FORMS/5OAJNWTIAQ