SAMPLE PRECALCULUS NARRATIVE COMMENT FOR AN UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT This quarter, students took three major assessments,

and two smaller ones. The three major assessments were on the binomial expansion and combinatorics (40/40; A+), on sequences and series (43/44; A+), and on a smattering of review material involving functions (37/46, B-). On the smaller assessments, Stu earned 19/20 (A) on sequences and series, and 7/10 (C-) on function basics and transformations. What these scores show is that Stu has a very solid understanding of the material being presented and although he didnt perform up to his standards on the functions basic/review material, he is doing a very good job with the new material. The material in this course is often challenging, and the level of understanding that students are expected to have is substantial. Stu has risen to the challenge and I am very proud of his work. I only hope that his great work continues as the year progresses. Additionally, the nightly work assigned to students was checked a number of times sometimes being checked for completion, but often collected and marked for correctness and for explanations. (For these formal write-ups that are handed in, students are asked to explain their work and thought processes, not just provide the answers.) Stu always had his work, but seriously struggled with the formal write-ups. He struggled in showing and explaining his work. One common refrain in my feedback is explain! One of the points of the formal writeups is to help students learn to communicate math and based on his assessments which have a lot of explain this problems, it is clear he has this ability. If Stu needs guidance on what is expected on these formal writeups, I entreat him to meet with me. Otherwise, I hope he makes a goal of improving his nightly work in the future. He earned a C+ for his nightly work. In Stus group, there were two very active participants, and one much more passive member. Although I went over to the group to encourage more communication among all three participants, this didnt always happen. I think that sometimes something as simple as switching the seating arrangement so the more quiet members of the group sit in between the more vocal participants can help (and I suggested that). However, the dynamic never really changed. This group lost a group member who switched classes, near the end of their work together. Thus, the group of three went to a group of two. Stu is a student who has a number of ah ha moments, and his insights are valuable to his group. He sees his role in the group as a problem solver, always questioning the solutions that the group generates but also ensuring that the solution we have come up with makes both mathematical and logical sense. I have seen that and the animated discussions he has with [another student] are wonderful to be witness to. There is a tenacity that characterizes the group when it comes to solving problems. They dont give up and they dont ask for help unless they truly have exhausted their options. As I mentioned, there was one group member that was more passive. I think the group should have slowed down a bit to make sure everyone was on the same page. A group should be working for a common understanding, rather than three individuals working for their own understanding. Their approach to working together is to work individually, and after some time, compare their work. That may work well for some groups, but the end result of this approach for this group was that two members were able to start and work through the problems, while one group member passively waited. Instead, talking through the problems and throwing out ideas of how to attach them initially, and then having some time to individually work through things, might have benefited everyone in the group. Stu noted that he might have pushed the more passive member to join in the conversation knowing that she might need a little more support to fully understand things. That would have been a good idea, as well as talking explicitly about the group dynamic, and how it could be improved. Often, a short discussion initiated by one of the group members can

totally change how a group works together. (Im always happy to facilitate this also.) He earned a B for groupwork. In a reflection I had students write near the end of the quarter, Stu wrote: I think that the class is going pretty well. I really like the people in the class and feel that we are all at around the same level of understanding The pace of the class, although fast, is almost perfect. It pushes me and doesnt let me slack off by being too slow but doesnt leave me in the dust by going too fast The difficulty and pacing put together make the class challenging but I enjoy it since it keeps me academically stimulated and never bores me. I loved reading that! He also mentioned that he was proud of how his groups work improved through the quarter starting out divided, but getting a bit better. Finally, he mentioned that sometimes the length of assessments can be a bit long. I want him to know I will take this to heart when writing assessments. Thank you for that feedback. Stus final quarter grade is 88.5%, which is a B+.

INTRODUCTORY BOILERPLATE FOR THE COURSE Advanced Precalculus is a fast-paced course which covers a variety of math topics, most of which are essential prerequisites to Calculus. We began the year with an investigation into Combinatorics, the way we count in mathematics. The next unit dealt with sequences and series. Our third unit was a comprehensive review of linear and quadratic functions and their graphs. We studied parent functions and the graphs of their transformations and we investigated properties of functions including symmetry, maxima and minima and behavior over intervals. During the second quarter we will be studying analytic trigonometry, polar coordinates and vectors. Most notably, this course has two main features. First, students work primarily in groups. Although we will often come together as a class, most of the heavy lifting is done by students working collectively. Second, students arent given formulas but are asked to build them up themselves so they really understand where they come from and what they mean. I have been especially proud of the fact that students have constructed all the formulas that weve used thus far in the course. A students grade is calculated as follows: 75% assessments, 15% nightly work, and 10% groupwork.

SAMPLE CALCULUS NARRATIVE COMMENT FOR AN UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT

Talk about a grand slam at the bottom of the ninth inning. Stu has had, to put it bluntly, a frustrating and rough quarter. However, due to her dedication and last minute efforts in the last two weeks of the quarter, Stu has shown herself more than capable of doing calculus. She also hopefully has learned a lesson in how important it is to keep up with the course as we go along. The strategies that got Stu through this first quarter will not work in the remaining three. This quarter, weve learned 17 distinct skills7 algebraic skills in our limit bootcamp and 10 calculus skills on the concepts of limits and continuity. Of these skills, Stu has shown mastery or almost complete mastery of 11 of these skills, a firm grasp on 4, and a confused understanding of the remaining 2. In class, I notice that Stu doesnt always have a firm grasp of whats going on. When I met with Stu at the beginning of the quarter, she told me she felt like other people remembered a lot of the material from previous years, and she didnt. This course wasnt easy for her. Since the analytic part of Calculus requires a working knowledge of algebra, and since Stu hasnt retained a lot of her algebra knowledge from previous years, this course is tough for her. Im sure at times it was absolutely maddening. Whats clear, from the way that Stu has been able to demonstrate her understanding as the quarter has progressed, is that Stu absolutely can re-learn these algebra skills and be successful. Whats also clear is that Stu will have to work extra-conscientiously to make sure she understands all the algebra skills as well as the calculus skills. This course has been challenging for Stu, but it is only through challengeby pushing the boundaries of what we think is possible that we learn what were truly capable of. I hope that Stu comes out realizing that she can do this, and in the process, learns something about herself and what works for her learning. Currently, Stu has been using reassessments to demonstrate her understanding. She has reassessed most skills, some more than once. And each time Stu reassessed, she usually can show more than previously. For Skill 10, for example, Stu earned a 0/4, then a 2/4, and finally a 4/4. It is actually quite common for Stu to go from a 0/4 or 1/4 on a skill to a 3/4 or 4/4 on a skill when she reassesses. This tells me, and hopefully Stu, that she can get the material, but it takes her time. When push came to shove at the end of the quarter, Stu was able to master a number of skills in the last week. The fact that Stu could do that, in such a short amount of time, indicates that whatever strategies that Stu was using in the past week should be strategies that Stu uses consistently for the rest of the quarter. In a meeting, one of the things Stu and I talked about was how she approached the home enjoyment each night. She said when she got stuck, she would just give up and move on to another problem. I told her that would not cut it, and there are multiple things that she could do: call a friend, read the textbook, look online, and review that days Smartboard notes. Stu should then ask questions about the home enjoyment in class. And finally, she should rework the following night some of those problems that she missed. I ask: Whats the point of doing math problems nightly if you cant learn from them? In addition to this nightly work, there is a student-run TEACH study group that I suggest Stu sign up for. Stu wrote an incredible reflection at the end of the quarter, and instead of putting excerpts in, I am going to type it all in. -1. I like the way that even though I was falling rapidly into a hole, and it felt almost impossible to get out, once you talked to me I became proactive and tried my best to do better. I like to continue meeting with you. I also like to continue to participate in class and asking questions. I think asking questions in class was the biggest way for me to better understand the topics. 2. I wish I would have started from the first day of school in this attack math mentality. I was acting very passive and like oh I dont get it now, but I will later, which honestly was the worst thing I could have done. I also wasnt used to the class setting and the grading system. But once you emailed me and I met with you and I know that this is a class that I have to be in it 100%, and that your method is one that helps us actually learn, it was just beneficial. I needed that scare

and wake up class because I was in serious denial. I became more on top of things. However, I had to dig myself out of a huge hole that I put myself in, but eventually the rhythm has become one that I used to. And Im almost in a weird way glad that I learned the hard way because now I truly understand Math. -I cant say how happy I was to read this. I hope to teach my students independence and how to be proactive learners. Stu is learning this. Stus final grade for the quarter is an 84%. Stu, the glee on your face when I told you in the commons that the last minute reassessments were successful that was amazing. You dug a hole, but you also worked hard to come out of that hole. Now Id like to see you work hard on keeping your level of understanding consistently up so that that smile on your face doesnt ever leave.

INTRODUCTORY BOILERPLATE FOR THE COURSE

This year in calculus, the course is being structured so that students can truly focus on and appreciate the ideas undergirding calculus. In years past, Ive noticed that students often times lose sight of calculus for the intense amount of algebraic work we do. Now, before each calculus unit, I lead an algebra bootcamp which targets the algebraic skills needed for the upcoming unit. The goal of this structure is to separate the calculus ideas (which are simple but deep) from the messy algebra. In addition, students are graded solely on their ability to master the content of calculus with the course broken up into discrete skills. The bar has been set high, where students are asked to gain a total mastery of each of these skills. Sometimes, however, students falter and this is okay. (It happens to all of us.) I allow students to remediate a skill they might not be happy with their performance on, and then reassess it. My goal is to give students responsibility and freedom and hope that they learn how to learn given that freedom. This quarter, we have focused our attention on how to graphically, numerically, and algebraically find the limit of functions. This unit also introduced the idea of proving statements about continuity. (In high level math courses, understanding how to show something is true, instead of being told something is true, is especially of great import, although true at all stages of math.) We ended the quarter by starting our work in the realm of derivatives (in essence, the study of how thing change) and will continue our calculus explorations on that topic all next quarter.