Lutheran South Academy

Course Syllabus – AP Calculus AB

Course Information Teacher Information

Class Location: Room A-113 Name: Mrs. Gretchen Hagge
E-Mail: Gretchen.hagge@lutheransouth.org Phone: (281) 464-8299 ext: 328

Planning Hours: Green A and White D blocks,

or after school.

Course Description:
This course is intended to prepare the student for the advanced placement exam, which all students
should take. Selected topics include limits, differentiation, integration, integration techniques,
differential equations, and applications of the derivative and integral. The course is also offered as dual
credit through Concordia University, Nebraska.

Course Competencies/ Learning Objectives

Students who successfully complete AP Calculus AB will be competent in:
all objectives on the AP Calculus AB course description at https://secure-
media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-calculus-ab-and-bc-course-and-exam-description.pdf
including but not limited to:
 have a complete understanding of all Calculus prerequisites.
 work with functions represented in a variety of ways: graphical, numerical, analytical, or verbal.
 understand the connections among the various representations of functions.
 master the concept of “closeness” and the limit.
 understand the meaning of the derivative in terms of a rate of change and local linear
approximation.
 use the derivative to solve a variety of problems with real life applications.
 use the rules of differentiation to take the derivative of algebraic functions.
 find the rules of differentiation using the definition of the derivative.
 understand the meaning of the definite integral both as a limit of Riemann sums and as the net
accumulation of a rate of change.
 use the integral to solve a variety of problems with real life applications.
 understand the relationship between the derivative and the definite integral as expressed in both
parts of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
 find the volume by rotating graphs.
 solve separable differential equations.
 communicate mathematics both orally and in well-written sentences, explain solutions to
problems.
 use appropriate technology to help solve problems, experiment, interpret results, and verify
conclusions.
 determine the reasonableness of solutions, including sign, size, relative accuracy, and units of
measure.
 develop an appreciation of calculus and its application to the world.
 give a geometric interpretation of differential equations via slope fields
 understand the format and use of the Advanced Placement Calculus AB test.
Student Evaluation
The grading system for this class at Lutheran South Academy is as follows:

This class will be graded using Mastery Grading.

What is Mastery Grading, and why not keep it traditional?
First, why not traditional grading…the problem with traditional grades are that they often get in the way of learning. You
may have gotten a 76% on your trigonometry test last year but did that mean you understood 76% of the material?
Probably not. You may have had a bad test taking day, you may have not understood it then but in the weeks afterwards
something clicked and you understand it now. That 76% doesn’t tell me what you understand or don’t about the material,
it also doesn’t tell me if you really understood the concepts but made some algebraic mistakes. Also most students don’t
go back and relearn material they didn’t understand, other than maybe for the final, which makes my math-loving heart
hurt. I want you all to strive for understanding!

What is Mastery Grading? It is grades based solely on what you know. That is the only way to get points and the only
way to get an “A” is to understand the material and demonstrate that. It is not grades based on behavior (late work), or
WHEN you understand the material during the semester. It is also grading for growth, as some educators call it because
you are able to retry and relearn the material.

I want you all to get A’s. I want you ALL to understand the math and be motivated to learn it. I want the grades to
actually mean something, which is how much Calculus you actually know.

How will this work?

As you should already know from the class info sheet emailed out with explanatory video, students will watch video notes
at home, participating by trying problems and filling out the WSQ forms for the notes, refer to the handout on that for
questions. During class, students will work on worksheets with practice problems. Once completed, students will take
formative quizzes (ungraded) on AP Classroom and can work on progress checks in AP Classroom as applicable to what
is being studied. Students are encouraged to work together and have rich discussions on the material during class as well
as get help from Mrs. Hagge. Completion of notes/WSQ forms, practice problems, formative quizzes, progress checks
will be ungraded but expected as part of participating in class. Students will be expected to work all class on these tasks.
Completion of these items will be required in order to reassess standards outside of quizzes and tests. Mrs. Hagge will
keep checklists of these items in RenWeb so you can see if you/your child is keeping up with expected work.

100% of students’ grades will be determined by performance on class standards as outlined in the syllabus
previously and will be assessed by quizzes and tests as well as individual reassessments.
• Quizzes will be given each class period over the previous material as well as cycling through previous unit standards.
They will consist of 2-4 problems. If students are absent for quizzes, they will be assessed on those standards again
during the semester, or they can choose to assess them individually, I do not plan on giving make-up quizzes.
Exceptions can certainly be made to this.
• Tests will be given at the end of each unit (units outlined previously in syllabus). Each question on the test will be
graded by standards and are treated the same as quizzes, they simply assess more standards at one time and test
retention of the standards. Questions on tests may assess more than one standard in a single problem as well. Tests will
be AP style to get students prepared for the exam as well as provide longer term understanding practice.
• Each standard will be assessed a minimum of 2 times in class, spiraling throughout the semester.
• Grading will be based on standards, on a 0-4 scale
• 0=no work, skipped problem, or no valid work shown
• 1=weak or no conceptual understanding-You may have confused reasoning, poor communication, and/or made one
or more serious (fatal) algebraic errors.
• 2=emerging conceptual understanding-You possibly have some confused reasoning, did not completely answer the
question, did not use consistent notation, muddled communication, and/or made more than one (non-fatal) algebraic
errors.
• 3=proficient understanding-You may have not shown steps of your reasoning, didn’t use notation consistently,
could have communicated more clearly, and/or made a slight (but non-fatal) algebraic error.

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• 3.5=Mastered but missed a non-essential piece of the answer-made a notation error or a very small (non-fatal)
algebraic error
• 4=Mastered the concept-You have a full understanding of the standard, clearly showed all steps of reasoning, used
notation correctly, communicated very well, and have made no algebraic errors.
• Note that the highest a student can score on a standard the first time it is assessed is a 3. Students will need to master a
concept twice in order to get a 3.5 or 4.
• Standards may be reassessed individually at any time with proper notice and evidence of remediation. A form email is
included as a basis for this.

How will this look in the gradebook?

For work that I am checking off for eligibility for reassessments, I will have an unweighted category called Daily Work
where I enter a 1 or 0 for the assignment (notes, worksheets, AP Classroom quizzes, AP Classroom Progress Checks). A
0 means not completed, a 1 means completed. This category will not be used to determine a grade, but is there for your
information.

The other category, Standards, will count in the grade, and rather than seeing test or quiz names, you will see standard
names. These grades will change over the semester as the student improves their understanding. You should expect low
scores on the first attempt, getting higher as students improve their understanding. Typically percentages are not used as
part of mastery based grading, but for eligibility requirements, I will need to have a percentage grade to report. Therefore,
I will use word codes where Four = 100, Three5 = 92, Three = 85, Two = 75, and a 0 will be a 0 as no good
faith effort has been made on the standard. Those percent averages will be used for activity eligibility ONLY and WILL
NOT be their final grade in the class.

How will the semester grade be calculated if we aren’t using percentages?

Final: This class will have a final each semester. The first semester final will be graded on standards as well. It will test
starred standards on the standard list. It will be graded using a rubric TBA to determine a percentage to be used for
calculating the grade. The final will be 20% of the semester grade. The second semester final will be a mock AP exam
and will be graded using AP grading, which I will incorporate into the semester grade.

Rubric for translating scores on standards to a letter grade for the semester:
A = 3-4 on at least 25 standards, the majority being 3.5 and 4. No 1s on any standard.
B = 3-4 on at least 20 standards, No 1s on any standard.
C = 3-4 on at least 15 standards. More 2s than 1s on the other standards.
D = 3-4 on at least 10 standards.
F = No 3-4 on standards.
Actual percentages reported for semester grades will likely lie in the 95, 85, 75, 65, etc, perhaps being higher or lower
depending on actual scores.

Note that teacher discretion will be used for students who lie in between the rubric lines determined here. Teacher
reserves the right to raise grades based on her understanding of student knowledge.

Student Initiated Reassessment:

Students may choose to reassess any standards at any time after the first assessment of that standard. In order to reassess
the student must provide evidence of doing the practice worksheet, taking the formative quizzes for the concept, and send
the following form email to the teacher. Students may reassess 2 skills at a time.

Sample email for student initiated reassessment (note: students may only reassess 2 skills per time):
[Subject: Reassessment for Skills #___,____]

Hi Mrs. Hagge,

I hope you’re having a lovely, wonderful day. I was thinking that I would really like to reassess Skill #_____.

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The reasons I think I didn’t do well on that skill are:

[list reasons here]

Since the assessment, I have done the following specific things to make sure I understand the skill:

[list the different things you did to work on the skill. Be specific—talk about who you worked with, what problems you
worked on, etc]

[If you want to reassess a second skill, copy the above and fill in with the next skill. Do each skill SEPARATELY.]

Would it be possible to reassess the skill on this upcoming [date] Success block?

Alway a devoted math student, and CALCULUS ABOVE ALL!

[your name]

Attendance Policy
Regular and prompt class attendance is an essential part of the educational experience. Lutheran South Academy expects
students to exercise good judgment regarding attendance and absences. Students will accept full responsibility for
ensuring their work does not suffer because of absences. All students are expected to attend every scheduled class on time.
Exceptions may be made for illness and valid emergencies.

Any student absent from class will be responsible to turn in that day’s assignment the following class or it will not be
accepted. The student will have one class day for every day absent to make up homework which was assigned the day of
absence UNLESS the student is absent due to a school-sponsored activity. Beyond this time the work will be
considered late. It is the student’s responsibility to get the work from the teacher and make sure it is handed in. If a
student will be absent due to a school-sponsored activity, they must turn in homework prior to leaving for the activity.
Any tests or quizzes missed due to a school-sponsored activity may be made up before or after the activity, but the student
should expect to make them up the next class period he or she is in attendance.

Classroom Expectations
1. Arrive to class on time
2. Be prepared
3. Respect your classmates and teacher
4. Give your all, all the time
5. Point out if I work a problem incorrectly!
6. Ask questions!

Class Requirements
Required Materials (which students must bring to class daily):
1. Pencil
2. Binder and loose-leaf paper (STRONGLY recommend a binder rather than notebook/folder as we will have a lot
of worksheets)
3. Graphing calculator
4. Computer
5. Earbuds or Headphones

Students will receive interactive videos to watch each night (most nights). The students should complete these and
complete a WSQ form, which will consist of their homework completion. During class, students will have problem sets
and formative quizzes to work on. Assessment Quizzes will be given each day. Tests will be given at the end of a unit.

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Plagiarism, Cheating, and Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is the practice of copying words, sentences, images, or ideas for use in written or oral assessments without
giving proper credit to the source. Cheating is defined as the giving or receiving of illegal help on anything that has been
determined by the teacher to be an individual effort. Both are considered serious offenses and will significantly affect your
course grade. Please refer to the Student Code of Conduct booklet for additional information.

Methodology
A combination of lecture, class discussion, presentations, videos, cooperative learning, and problem-based learning will
be used in this course. Below is an overview of topic/ units.

Semester I: Chap. P-3 (Pre-Calculus Review, Limits and their properties, Differentiation,
Applications of Derivatives)
Semester II: Chap. 4-7 (Integrals and Applications of Integrals, Differential Equations, review for AP exams)

General Information:

Cell Phones: You will be required to put cell phones up in the holder upon entering the class and may only get them with teacher
permission. Any cell phone use while cell phones are supposed to be put up will result it being taken from you and turned in to the
office.
Backpacks: Please make sure whatever bags come with you into the room are out of the aisles.

If you are having trouble with this class, come to me immediately and I can work with you. If you wait till the end of the marking
period, it will be TOO LATE. I will be available to help you understand so you can be successful in this class.

There is no extra credit offered in this class.

This is an AP level class, you should expect to be challenged.

Finally, remember that teachers are sinful human beings too! Please inform me if you suspect an error in grading
or in discipline.

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Please check and sign below

______________I have read the information and I fully understand what I’m expected to do in AP Calculus AB.

Printed Student Name:_____________________________

Student Signature: ____________________________________

Parent / Guardian Signature: ___________________________________

If you have any questions, please ask Mrs. Hagge. Feel free to share any pertinent information about your student below.