How Do We Learn?

Think about the last time that you learned something. I don’t mean a life lesson learned in an instant but

truly sat down over a period of weeks/months on a regular basis and learned how to do something that

you have never done before. How did you go about your learning?

Did you allow yourself to make mistakes?

Did you penalize yourself for the mistakes?

Did you allow yourself to correct your mistakes?

When you decided that you had “learned” what you were trying to learn did the mistakes that

you made along the way in any way reduce how much you thought you had learned or by

making mistakes would you say you had learned more?

In spite of your mistakes did you give yourself “full credit” for the final learning outcome and

now would describe yourself as “knowing how to do that”?

Recently I decided I wanted to learn how to play chess. My wife exclaimed “I thought you knew how to

play chess!” I told her I knew how the pieces moved but that is different than knowing strategy and

tactics to win. I downloaded an app on my phone that had individual practice, video lessons with

“quizzes”, daily puzzles, and the ability to play human opponents of all levels as well as the computer. I

started with the video lessons and the individual practice. I made a ton of mistakes and got most of the

quizzes wrong. The cool thing for me though was that the program allowed me to re-do the

quizzes/practice and as I did I began to learn the tactics that each was trying to teach me. It was only

through making mistakes that I became aware of what I did not know and could correct that. Through

trial and error I learned and then started playing online. I lost a lot at first but for each loss I would

review the game and learn from my mistakes. I began winning more and more. Evidence of learning was

definitely present and I continued to learn from my mistakes in games and in practice mode. My ranking

went up and I continued to win against tougher, higher ranked opponents.

I learn from my mistakes and do not fear them!

I do not dwell on them and they are not permanent!

They do not haunt me and I welcome the insight they provide!

AP Chemistry is a challenging class. Your student will meet challenges and I do not want them to fear

making mistakes. They will make plenty of them and I want you to understand that I do not make them

a permanent part of their grade. Their grade in my class will, as much as possible, reflect their current

state of learning. Mistakes can only be made permanent through a conscious choice by the student. I

will give them every opportunity to learn from their mistakes and will adjust their grade accordingly

after they have provided evidence of learning.

If you have any questions or concerns about my grading please feel free to contact me.

Benjamin.Doolan@wylieisd.net

Grading Policy for AP Chemistry

GRADING WITHIN A GRADING CYCLE:

Mistakes are not permanent parts of the students’ grade! Students may resubmit any assignment or retake any test if

they are not satisfied with their current state of learning. Grades in the class should be viewed as communication

between teacher and student about evidence of what the student has learned. Students should attend tutorials and

review work to determine what areas they need help with in order to maximize learning. This policy is focused on

evidenced-based learning and not assignment completion or compliance.

I do accept late work without applying a grade penalty. I want the grade on an assignment to reflect learning and not

compliance. However, this is not a “free pass” for students and students should understand pretty quickly that

purposely falling behind makes the course much, much more difficult. This policy is strictly for students who need more

time to learn/understand topics within a particular assignment. Parents will be notified if assignments are not submitted

in a timely manner to ensure students keep pace with the class and do not fall too far behind.

Grading Category Percentage What is Required for Resubmission?

Major Grades

Unit Tests

Lab Assessments

Free Response Quizzes

60%

Students will attend tutorials and use data from assessments to drive interventions. Student may be orally quizzed before an assessment is allowed to be retaken to ensure learning has taken place and they

are ready to re-take the assessment.

Minor Grades

Class Notes and Practice Problems

Quizzes

Multiple Choice Practice

40%

Students must attend tutorials and complete the work there. Work must be submitted during the tutorial for

resubmission. This is to ensure students are on the right track with their learning.

GRADES AFTER GRADING CYCLE HAS ENDED:

Once grades for a cycle have been submitted, eligibility for UIL events is irreversible. In other

words, a student who fails a grading period, and then completes retakes the following week to

demonstrate learning, will still remain ineligible according to UIL eligibility guidelines.

Mistakes are not permanent parts of the students’ grade! Once a grading cycle had ended a student may only retake

assessments to change a previous cycle grade. Students must show proof of remediation/learning before they will be

allowed to retake any assessment. Usually this is done through tutorial attendance and reviewing/redoing past

submitted work. Students should definitely communicate with their teacher about how to go about this. A student may

show proof of learning during the last grading cycle for things that were taught in the first grading cycle and the grade

will be changed to reflect their current level of understanding.

***Please return this document with parent and student signatures***

Student Name: _________________________________ Student Signature: ______________________________

Parent Signature: _______________________________ Date: ________________