Again, fix 5 is a subset of fix 1 (achievement grades and behavior grades are separate). "Standards-based learning is not about seat time." (O'Connor, 47) I think we all agree that being in school is a good thing and will lead to greater achievement. However, if a student can prove to a teacher they know the standard being taught at the time, why does that student need to be in a attendance? Grades on achievement should reflect what the student knows and is able to do.
Attendance is important, but if we are deducting points from their achievement grade based upon their attendance, our grade then becomes distorted. If the student can prove they know the material, do they really need the seat time, or can we do something different to challenge that student? If the student is not in attendance, and cannot prove they know the material, what will we do about it? Does deducting points really make sense if our grades are truly about achievement?
O'Connor gives a great example in his book from Forrest Gathercoal:
"I was confronted at a workshop by a teacher who asked "are you telling me that if a student has been ill and another has been skipping, that they both should be able to make up that work missed?" My response was that both needed an educator when they returned, perhaps the one who skipped more than the other. Regardless of the reason for student absences, make up work and late assignments should be accepted to ensure those students equal educational opportunity." (Gathercoal, 2004, p.163; quoted in O'Connor, 2011, p.49)
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