Repair Kit for Grading - Fix 5

Fix 5: Don't consider attendance in grade determination; report absences separately.

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)

 

The First Days of School - Posting Assignments and Taking Attendance

"Your very first priority when the class starts is to get the students to work." (Wong, 121)

Classroom management begins the moment the bell rings to signify the start of class (actually before that...).  How you manage the first 5 minutes of class is vitally important.  If we allow our students to hand in makeup work, ask to go to the bathroom, take roll, etc... we have wasted 5 minutes of 95% of the students in the classrooms time.  Add up this 5 minutes over the course of a week and you get 25 minutes per week of wasted time, 100 minutes per month, potentially more than 850 minutes per year if we start class without a plan!

Have a Plan
Last week we talked about Prior Planning Preventing Poor Performance.  Keeping this in mind, we need to have a plan for the first 5 minutes of class.  Typically questions are asked at the beginning of the period such as:

• What are we doing today?
• Was that assignment due today?
• Is there going to be an assignment?

In order to alleviate many of these questions, a teacher could simply post their plan or agenda for the day on the board.  Your plan should include, what you are doing today, what is due for today, and what will be due tomorrow.  I used to call this my "Do-Due" page.  Kids would remind me to post my "Do-Due".  This information should be in the same spot every day.  This way kids know what to expect, eliminating many of the anticipated questions.

Posting your plan also assists your paraprofessionals helping students in your classroom.  It can also serve as a guide for your administrator who is walking through observing.  Learning targets should also be posted as part of this daily plan.

When and How to Take Attendance

Taking attendance is an important process in the classroom, but it should not take up any of your class time. Roll-taking does not concern the class, so do not concern the class with the process.  Wong states, "the effective teacher starts the class immediately with an assignment, not roll taking." (Wong, 127)

A typical roll-calling scene involves a teacher reading names off a list and the student responding with "here".  Think about the time it takes to get through the list of names, the many excuses as to why "Johnny" isn't in class, the jokes that are made, etc...  With all this disruption, the class does not start effectively and efficiently.

Outcomes of Ineffective Roll Taking

• Noise level continues to rise.
• Cause confrontation between teacher and student about why a student is absent.
• Valuable time is wasted.
• Students start class bored while roll is taken.

Effective Ways to Take Attendance

• Use a seating chart to take attendance, mark on the chart and notify office at a later time.
• Have folders with student work in a file or box at the door.  Students grab their folder on their way in.  The folders that are still in the box are those of students that are absent.
• Use a clothespin with a chart.  Students walk in and move the pin to present or you can even do lunch choices.  No more having to go around the room and ask about lunch choices.

"Effective teachers take roll quickly and quietly without disturbing the class."