Back

Grading

Your grade in this class will be determined by six components:

Your work will be monitored by your classroom facilitator, your tutor, and the video teacher. Your facilitator will keep a record of your scores and enter them on the Grade Report Form. Your actual letter grade for a given grading period will be determined by your facilitator using your school's grading procedures.

If you miss an assignment, the facilitator will decide whether your absence is excused. If it is, you will either be allowed to make it up or have the assignment disregarded in the calculation of your grade. This decision will be a judgment call by the facilitator, possibly with the teacher's input. Because attendance, regular work habits, and daily practice are very important in learning a second language, it is suggested that your facilitator be very cautious in this area.

Tests (30%)

Tests will be given approximately every 10-12 video lessons. The date and nature of each test will be announced in advance. Test questions may cover any of the material presented in the video lessons, the telephone lessons, or other assigned activities. Attention will be given to the four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Cultural material will also be tested. There will be a review test at the midterm and a comprehensive final.

Generally, tests may be sent or faxed to KET for grading. Please check the Daily Planner and Internet for more specific information. It is a good idea to copy student tests before mailing them. Although it rarely occurs, tests may get lost in the mail.

Oral Performance (20%)

The telephone tutors evaluate your speaking and listening performance. Each time you speak with your tutor, you will receive a grade for your performance. There will also be opportunities for you to practice your oral skills on our web site. An important aspect to remember is that making mistakes is part of the foreign language learning process. Your preparation and willingness to speak will play a major role in this assessment.

Quizzes (15%)

Shorter and longer reading quizzes will be given from time to time. They will always be announced. They may immediately follow some video segment (such as a listening comprehension check), check a homework concept, or monitor progress on vocabulary. The reading quizzes will be based on readings from the Sowieso Reader/Activity book. The quizzes may be taken on-line (after being "opened" by the facilitator) and graded electronically. The scores will automatically be recorded in the electronic grade book. Facilitators may also choose to print out a copy of the quizzes found under Facilitator Login, grade them using the provided key, and manually enter the scores into the grading program.

Essays (15%)

To help improve your writing skills, you will write several essays throughout the semester. Essays will vary in length and writing style. You will be asked to submit them electronically via e-mail or the message center. Your first draft of each essay will be returned to you with errors marked, and you will then turn in a second (final) draft of the essay.Your telephone tutor will usually grade the essay, using guidelines that the teacher has prepared. Please be sure to observe all deadlines in order to ensure the highest grade possible.

Notebook Questions (10%)

On-line notebook questions will be posted for each video lesson. These questions are linked to the web page for each video lesson ("Fernsehstunde"). The questions check each student's understanding of the material taught in the video lesson. As the student watches the video lesson, he or she takes notes. After viewing the video lesson, each student logs in to the Quiz Shop from the German web page and enters the answers to the posted questions. The responses will be electronically graded and recorded in the electronic grade book. Ideally, the responses should be entered as soon as possible after viewing the lesson. Please remind students that they can login from any Internet connected computer in order to complete this task.

In the case that a student or students cannot access the web page, the facilitator may print out the questions and manually enter the scores for each lesson. Keys are provided under the facilitator password for this feature.

Class Participation (10%)

Approximately every two weeks (every week for the block course), a grade slot will appear for the Class Participation Grade. This grade is given by the facilitator on a 100-point scale. In determining this grade, facilitators are asked to consider each student's learning behavior, including timely completion of all assignments, preparedness, positive attitude, willingness to participate and effort. Students are encouraged to keep an updated Lesson and Assignment Sheet. (This sheet can be found in the Forms section and also in the Student Guide.)

A suggested breakdown for this component is as follows:

*Every two weeks (every week for the block course) a summary of assignments will be posted under the "Nicht vergessen!" icon on the German web page. These summaries serve as a reminder to the facilitator and the student of all assignments given.

A Note on "Sharing" Work

Unless other instructions are given, please be sure that you do your own work during tests or other graded assignments. If your site allows, seat yourself away from each other, or use a cover sheet. Be sure you have put away your notes and books unless the teacher gives other instructions.

To Info Index