Sunset Ridge School

5th Grade Syllabus Expectations

Parent Involvement is all about the children. Participation in your child’s education is proven to boost his or her achievement in school. We are committed to treat parents as partners while keeping lines of communication open and focused on the needs of your child. Mutual trust and respect between parents and teachers is required to maintain a positive learning experience at any school. We believe that your trust in Sunset Ridge is required to ensure your child’s success.

Mr Wilding is a  Nationally Board Certified Teacher who earned a Master’s Degree from NAU. He enjoys bike riding and spending time with his grandchildren.

Mrs. Cusson has been working in Deer Valley since 1998 and graduated from ASU. She enjoys physical activities such as kayaking, paddle boarding, and working out.

CURRICULUM

Science includes  Matter, Force & Motion, Earth & Moon, and Genetics & Environment.

The Social Studies program is McGraw-Hill. Students will have access to an online book and hard copy at school. Topics include American Revolution, Government & Constitution, Westward Expansion, Civil War, and  Reconstruction.

Writing Workshop comes from the Into Reading HMH program and includes

 

The Reading Program is HMH and has 12 modules. Students will listen to, read, and view a variety of texts and media. 

Text structures include literature that focuses on narrative nonfiction, realistic fiction, poetry, myth, fantasy/adventure, mystery, personal historical fiction, persuasive text, fiction, drama, informational text,and  science fiction/fantasy to build knowledge.

Skills taught include author’s purpose, central ideas, text structure, author’s craft, point of view, theme, figurative language, literary elements, identifying characters, setting, plot and conflict, summarize events, ask/answer questions to understand unfamiliar texts, make and confirm predictions, tone, and  media techniques, 

The Math Program is Eureka Math and has six modules.

 

CURRICULUM

Resources

▪    DVUSD Math Resources for Parents

▪    DVUSD English Language Arts Resources for Parents

▪    DVUSD Social Studies Resources for Parents

▪    DVUSD Science Resources for Parents

▪    What is Depth of Knowledge (DOK)? 

 

COMMUNICATION

Communication with parents and families occurs through student planners, Canvas, and teacher emails. Students and parents can find assignments and/or information to help support students on Canvas, our website and/or in the student folder.

●        Our  Sunset Ridge Website,    Smores, and our school Newsletter contain up to date information. 

• The fifth grade website contains information about fifth grade news, teacher bios, photo gallery and links to student resources.

●         The best way to reach teachers is by email. The phone lines do not ring into the classroom during the school day. We strive to respond to emails within 24 hours.  

 stephen.wilding@dvusd.org  623-445-7872

shannon.cusson@dvusd.org  623-445-7871

 

Please schedule specific times to meet with us, as we need time to communicate effectively. We often have professional duties directly before and after school hours. Please understand that we will not be able to meet or discuss issues while we are teaching or supervising students. However, we  will contact you as soon as we can.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (PLC’s)

Most Fridays, students will be released early so that we are able to participate in PLC work. This work is directly related to the planning, instruction and interventions we implement in our classrooms to ensure that students master the standards.

 

Role of PLC

A professional learning community is a group of educators that meet regularly and work Collaboratively to improve teaching practices and the achievement of students. The questions that drive the work of PLC’s are:

●        What do we want all students to know and be able to do?

●        How will we know if they learn it?

●        How will we respond if some students do not learn?

●        How will we extend the learning for students who are already proficient?

PLC Teams are responsible for collaborating to establish general consistency among the following:

●        Assignments, presentations, products, observations and assessments used to determine a student's level of performance in relation to grade-level standards.

●        The method and schedule for additional learning opportunities.

●        Due dates, deadlines, and procedures for reassessment.

●        Create opportunities for common scoring of assessments.

SSR HOMEWORK & GRADING

Research provides strong evidence that, when used appropriately, homework is essential for increasing and reinforcing student learning and achievement for course standards. Homework may be differentiated to meet the needs of our varied learners. The intent of homework is to practice, extend learning, and provide opportunities for students to develop critical, independent study skills and self-discipline for their life-long educational journeys.

●        Grades are a reporting tool utilized to reflect what a student knows and is able to do in a content area. We measure achievement, not effort or behavior, in our grading system.

●        Grades will be equitable, accurate, specific, consistent.

●        A student’s grade should reflect academic learning and should never be used as a punitive tool.

●        Grades are for reporting the status of academic learning, not behavioral conduct

●        The primary purpose of assessment and grading is to provide detailed feedback to inform and support student learning.

●        Learning is a process that takes place over time and at different speeds for different students.

●        PowerSchool is an essential resource for parents and students. It is not only a tool for communication regarding grades, it is a resource for our students and parents to check progress, missing work, and what is being taught/learned regularly. Please ensure that you and your child have access (separate accounts) and even sign up for the app and push notifications or weekly email updates as an option in PowerSchool.

Sunset Ridge was one of the ten schools in DVUSD who piloted the new grading system during the 2021-2022 school year. We will continue with a Standards Based Mindset while grading for the 2022-2023 school year with the revised Transition Plan as directed by the DVUSD Governing Board. Additional information regarding Standards Based Mindset for grading transition plan can be found here.

K-6 Grading Scale

 

WHY STANDARDS BASED FOR GRADING?

Parents:

●         Progress reports are less mysterious and have more meaning

●         Parents are aware of exactly what their child knows, is able to do, and next steps for progress

●         Parents know in what areas their child needs more support

●         Parents are empowered to increase their child's confidence and help their student set goals

Students:

●         Learning targets are clearly defined and aligned with state standards.

●         Students are offered multiple opportunities and ways through which to demonstrate proficiency

●         Students monitor their own progress toward the achievement of specified targets

●         Specific feedback on progress helps build self-esteem, pride, and motivation

Teachers:

●         Teachers know exactly where students stand in their progress toward learning targets and what support needs to be provided

●         Teachers of the same courses have aligned expectations and standards

●         Assessment results help teachers determine when students need extra help and when they need more challenging work

PROCEDURES FOR RE-ASSESSMENTS AND LATE WORK

Students needing extra help will receive it from their teacher during Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in class.  In order to accurately reflect a student’s academic performance level, teachers will accept late work and missing work for full credit if the work is submitted within the timeframe and procedures developed by the school and before the end of the grading period. 

Retake: The student completes another assessment of the same learning targets. The assessment to be retaken may be in the same format or a different format. The higher of the two scores will be entered in the gradebook.

Reperformance: The student will be reassessed on the same learning target later in the marking period as part of the instruction cycle, thus providing an additional measurement of the learning. All reperformance scores related to the learning target may be entered in the gradebook.

 

• Retakes are allowed for assessments in which scores are entered into the gradebook, for full credit, if reperformance opportunities will not be available during the marking period or in addition to reperformance opportunities during the marking period.  

• Once a student has met the criterion for reassessment, the new score will not be capped or penalized.  

• Retakes can be in another format.  

• For Retakes - the original score is replaced, if the new score is higher. For Reperformance - the original score may be replaced.

To earn a retake opportunity, a student must complete all of the following:

• Complete all formative coursework related to the content/skill assessed

• Consult with the teacher

• Submit a reassessment plan or application, if required by the teacher

A  reassessment plan must be scheduled within the following time frames:

• 3rd-8th Grades: Within 10 school days after receiving the assessment score

Students will still be responsible for turning in late work in addition to their current coursework, which results in the natural consequence of a heavier workload. The primary consequence for students not completing the work is to complete the work.

 

Learning is a journey that is often not linear. Some students learn content and skills quickly while others may require more time or feedback in order to learn. The primary objective of grades is to report where a student is in the learning process, regardless of how much time or effort the student needs to get there.

 

• Students will be afforded extra time for learning; however, there is an ending point for each course in which final reports on a student’s learning must be conveyed.

• Final assessments or end of term capstone projects and performance assessments will not be eligible for retakes.

• Assessments/assignments may be in an alternate format for reassessment.

• Students are required to show evidence of learning and applying the teacher’s feedback in order to earn a reassessment opportunity.

• Retakes must be student initiated; parents should acknowledge awareness of retake. Reassessments will be permitted following proof of practice and relearning, per teacher discretion.

• Retakes and late work must be submitted within two weeks of the date of the original assessment

• No “extra credit” will be given at any time.

Missing work will be treated as such:

• The assignment will be marked with the “Missing” special code in the gradebook

• A zero (“0”) will be entered as the score for the assignment in the gradebook (grades 3-12)

• No Evidence (NE) will be entered for the standards attached to the assignment

• If the work is submitted as Late Work (see terms on next slide), the zero (“0”) assignment score will be changed to reflect the student’s actual score with no deductions or penalties

• If the work is not submitted as Late Work or does not meet conditions for Late Work, the score for the assignment can be changed from a zero (“0”) up to a 49%, dependent upon the school’s processes, by the end of the term.

An assignment is considered as missing work when it is not submitted by the due date. 1st-6th: A “1” will be entered in the gradebook until the work is submitted. A notation of “M” for missing or “L” for late work will also be denoted in the gradebook.

If a student meets the criteria, he/she will be issued full credit for the work submitted (no added penalties or caps on the grade that can be earned).  The teacher will mark the student’s assignment with the “Late” special code. If the assignment is an assessment, the proficiency level of the standards attached will be entered.

In order for Late Work to be accepted, students must meet the following parameters:

• Assignment is not due within the class period

• Assignment is not a timed activity (such as a Quick-Write Essay)

• Assignment is not a Long-Term assignment (over multiple weeks)

• Assignment is turned in within the following time frame

3-8 Grades: Within 5 school days after the end of the unit or one week prior to the end of the quarter.

GRADE BOOK

Students in 3rd through 12th grades will receive marks for their proficiency toward the grade level standards using the following scale. All gradebook entries in the "Assessment" category will have at least one standard tagged and scored.  Gradebook entries in the "Coursework" or "Practice" categories can also have standards tagged and scored. 

4 = Highly Proficient

3 = Proficient

2 = Partially Proficient

1 = Minimally Proficient

NE = No Evidence

Students in 3rd - 12th grades will receive marks for their overall performance in each course of study using the following traditional letter grade scale.

A = 90-100%

B = 80-89%

C = 70-79%

D = 60-69%

F = 0-59%

ASSESSMENT (80%) 

This category includes all items used to measure a student’s proficiency toward the learning standards once the student has had sufficient practice. This category can include summative tests, performance assessments, reports, unit or module assessments, quizzes, long-term projects, short-term projects, presentations, capstone projects, research papers, and lab reports. 

COURSEWORK (20%) 

This category includes formative work that provides students with the opportunity to learn content and skills and to receive feedback on their learning.  Coursework is assigned to provide meaningful, independent practice, reinforce learning targets, and extend learning. This category can include in-class assignments, quizzes, exit tickets, checks-for-understanding, and daily activities

PRACTICE   

This category includes formative student work that a student completes while in the process of learning specific skills.  Student work that is done inside and outside of the classroom, such as classwork and homework, falls into this category. 

Checking PowerSchool regularly, and consistently communicating with teachers are all ways to understand how your child(ren) is progressing and learning each skill and standard required at their grade level.