As second semester gets underway, students are able to hit the reset button on their class percentages. Whether a student had a 92% or a 62% at the end of first semester if they turn in the first assignment this term, both students will have an A. For many students, this reset button is motivation enough to succeed, with or without any other factors. However some students will look at this opportunity as another opportunity to fail.
For students who failed first semester of a yearlong class, the second semester can be a reminder of their shortcomings. A student who struggled and failed may look at the new term as an uphill battle and question whether their efforts are worth the return. For students who failed due to a lack of effort, the motivation is the same now as it was during the first term. Why are they more likely to turn assignments in now compared to earlier this school year? As educators we have a choice. To let the status quo continue and allow our students to choose to fail, or we can break the cycle and give them an offer they can’t refuse.
As educators we have a choice. To let the status quo continue and allow our students to choose to fail, or we can break the cycle and give them an offer they can’t refuse.
When dealing with a student who sees no hope in the new semester, it is time we get creative. As mentioned in a previous post, maybe its time we borrow an idea from the business world and offer our students a contract. No don’t bride your students with a cash bonus, although that may work, offer them a grade contract.
A Grade contract is a written document stating, if you do this (fill in the blank) I will change your first semester grade to a (fill in the blank). Grade contracts are merely cause and effect. They are a way to recover something that a student thought was long gone.
Now some may say that changing a failing grade to a passing grade is artificial or an academic inflation, to them I would ask, what is our end goal? Our standards based testing system wants to know if a student has mastered the material. If a student hasn’t mastered the material at the semester they haven’t failed, they just haven’t mastered the material yet. If by the end of the year (second semester) a student has shown mastery of the year’s curriculum, haven’t they shown that they deserve credit for the year?
Without a grade contract a student has few options for recovering credit: retake the class next year or summer school. Retaking the class puts the student behind schedule and can have a negative impact on their self-confidence as a learner. Retaking a class also results in the missed opportunity to take another class, often an elective class. While we want to make sure our students leave school with knowledge of the core subjects, the student who fails a class is often the student who needs those electives most. They are the type of student who needs a connection to the school that they don’t find in a traditional classroom. By removing their elective options, we are pushing the student closer to the edge of giving up and dropping out.
The other option, repeating a class in summer school, is also a poor choice especially for schools that do not offer an in house summer program. A condensed three-week curriculum cannot possibly offer the same rigor as a semester long course. For these external summer school programs, the home school has little control over curriculum and the summer content may not match what is offered in the home building. In this case a student will receive credit and can claim mastery, even if that doesn’t mean mastery of your material.
Which brings us back to the question of how do we judge mastery of a subject? The grade contract provides us with a tool to judge that mastery and reward its achievement. A student fails first semester, they turn it around second semester and now are award credit for both terms.
Beyond the mastery of material, grade contracts are superior to other forms of credit recovery because they allow teachers to address specific behaviors that may have interfered with success in the first semester. Did a student fail due to attendance concerns? Make attendance a part of the contract. Did a student fail because of missing assignments? Make homework completion part of the contract. Did a student struggle on tests and quizzes? Make assessment corrections a part of the contract.
Grade contracts can be flexible to meet the needs of the learner, take corrective measures and still be rigorous enough that you feel comfortable with the grade change. Grade contracts are a way to reward students for doubling down on their academic efforts and achieving something they may not have thought possible.
As second semester starts, take a moment to look back at those students who failed and ask if a grade contract is right for them. You may be offering the hope that student needs.
Example: CONTRACT_TO_LEARN
Comments are closed.