The students in my math clas will be assessed in two ways. First, they will, as small groups, plan and carry out a budget for our Poetry Slam fundraiser. One group will be in charge of advertising, one group will be in charge of admissions, and one group will be in charge of concessions. They will be responsible, as a group, for coming up with a proposed budget for their area, carrying out whatever is necessary for their area, and, after the event, presenting an evaluation of how closely they adhered to their budget and how much profit they made after expenses. I will oversee all of these groups and they will be required to check in with me throughout the process. Each student's grade for this portion of the unit will be based not on whether or not their group made a profit but on how well organized their budget was and how carefully they evaluated the experience.
Individually, each student will also be responsible for handing in a hypothetical personal budget based on the apartment and job each student selected earlier in the unit. The garde here will depend on how accurate their calculations are and how wmuch thought and effort went into the project. For extra points, students will also have the option of explaining what types of education and experience would enable them to obtain such a job. The goal of this form of assessment is to encourage students to put some thought into the question of a personal budget and what is required in order for them to succeed in their area of interest. In doing this, students may be more inspired to make informed decisions about their futures in the upcoming years. Back to the Unit Overview
