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Leeadam                                                               

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Leeadam                                                               

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I have always thought that it is more important for equity to occur than equality.  A learner maybe late with an assignment for valid reasons they may not want to share.  It is important to be flexible when it comes to deadlines because what is reasonable for one is not reasonable for another.

I think that when a learners asks for an extension is should always be granted.  Ido not need an explanation unless they feel like they must tell me.  Learners are entitled to privacy as well.  I would rather them do this then be forced to make something up.

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I have struggled with the idea of holding a student back. On the one hand I understand there are instances where it is necessary, but on the other I worry about how holding a first grade student back will actually help them. Specifically whether the social consequences of being "off" from the age-group norm in terms of needs/social sphere/etc. would negate the benefits. I question why the principal gets the final say, when they work with the child the least.

In a similar, yet still different, way I question whether discretion should be applicable in high school. Especially when a strictly grades based system could easily be applied. After all, what is the point of calling something a passing grade if it could theoretically be overruled?

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In regards to the academic responsibility portion of the document I noted the part that talked about making expectations clear. One thing I have noticed in my class is how teachers are very clear of the intended outcomes and what is expected from them for each lesson.

My question is in regards to consequences for late and missing work. In the document it says these documents provide evidence for learning so how far do we offer extensions if this is what is important rather than being on time.

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In the section about academic responsibility, the article highlights the importance of setting a "reasonable" or "adequate" timeline for assignments. We need to be judicious of other factors in students lives when assigning due dates.

I disagree that deducting marks for late/missing assignments is placed as equal status as helping students complete assignments with additional support. But we need to somehow make students accountable for their work...

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I found it interesting to read that you cannot retain a student for multiple years. I can see how holding back a student for multiple years would be discouraging and damaging for that student.

How can we assure late policies are fair to the students without putting a strain on the teachers?

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I didn’t realize it was the final decision of the principal whether a student has a failing grade or not. I find that a bit surprising since it is the teacher who sees the student everyday and assesses their work in class.
I think assessment has certainly evolved from the time I was a student in middle school or high school. Now teachers provide alternative assessment tasks for students with differing learning needs. Which rarely ever happened, now I find that we are constantly reshaping our programs to better fit the needs of our students.

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1. Under academic responsibility, a point that stood out to me was "Establish and clearly communicate expectations regarding assignments". This is important because you want to ensure students know what they are supposed to do, and by sharing the assessment criteria, that will help them get to where they need to be in order to be successful with assignments.

2. I feel that teachers have their own policy regarding incomplete/failed assignments; I've had teachers that give zeros if you don't hand in something, teachers that dock marks for assignments handed in way past the due date, or teachers that give students another chance to complete the assignment. I feel that this all depends on the student's situation for handing in work late as well (i.e. illness vs. just not doing it at all)

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In regard to establishing reasonable but firm deadlines, I like that the document noted to involve students and other staff. The high school I am at this year has a shared document for all teachers to input major tests and assignments, to ensure things are balanced for the students.

Communication between staff, students and parents is mentioned as well. This is a great way to make sure each student has what they need to succeed.

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Teachers should collaborate with students on how to get their unfinished work done

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Teachers should collaborate with students on how to get their unfinished work done

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Late assignments is something I have mixed feelings on. Many teachers provide adequate time in terms of due dates. Students take advantage of this sometimes and it is not fair to the teacher in having to take in all late assignments. In my school/division, we are not allowed to give a zero for late assignments or give late marks. I believe it should be up to the teacher.  Students should face the consequences in given situations.

Reading also mentioned that in grades 9-12, the principle decided whether or not to grant the credit, with the consulting of the teachers. I always thought it was just the teacher who decides so it was something new that I learned reading this.

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1. Contact parents to discuss strategies for keeping students on track when they are falling behind or not taking responsibility for their work.
-My practicum experience last year was very interesting in that some of the parents do not take responsibility or neglecting their child's education. Some parents do not communicate or send their child to school.
2. Repeating grade level. My practicum school placement last year said they have changed this rule. According to them, they no longer use this rule for the sake of student's mental and emotional health. To prevent the increasing drop out rates they have to omit or disregard this rule of retention policy

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I thought the retention policy was interesting. It seems that this policy is not really followed in Manitoba as students are not really retained anymore.

Academic honest was another area I found interesting. I was not aware the procedures to follow were outlined in this document and I think direction in this area is valuable.

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I thought that the strategy of: Anticipate which students may require additional supports to complete assigned
tasks, and monitor those students more closely is important because we want to know in the beginning to be able to help them right away instead of waiting till the end when there isn't a lot of time left.
I found it weird that the principal had the say on whether a student passes or fails.

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I was surprised that the principal has the final decision in final grades in all grade levels. Especially in 9-12, the principal decides whether or not the student gets their credit, even though they may not have seen this student in a classroom setting all year...

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1. Communicating with the students how late and unfinished work will be handled is very important. A lot of students have a mentality that they can get it done whenever they like because that policy and process was not communicated to them clearly.

2. How can we ensure late work policies are "fair" for the student as well as the teacher?

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Suppose a student has not met the requirements needed advance to the next grade level. Wouldn’t promoting the student be irresponsible on the part of the educators?

Reading this I found it a bit unsettling that these rules were not communicate well by my teachers in middle school. I feel like students should be aware of the responsibilities that they have as honest learners.

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Plagiarism and academic honesty is something I taught my grade 10 students last year and they were not aware of it prior to our conversation - I feel that is a concept that needs to be taught at a much younger age as it indicates responsibility as well.

Another concept is student accountability - how do we make sure our students are responsible when they see some of their peers conduct minimum effort and yet receive no penalty? That also goes hand in hand with academic honesty

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I thought the policy on late or missing assignments was good. It is important for there to be consequences when students don't complete work on time because they will be facing deadlines for the rest of their lives whether it be at work or paying bills.

In the school I was previously placed in, we were not supposed to take off marks for lateness. It was difficult for there to be consequences when students didn't hand in their work on time. My CT suggested marking the ones that came in late a little tougher since they had more time to complete the work.

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I think it makes sense that you can't retain a student for multiple years, especially in the younger years. The emotional development of the student needs to considered as well and feeling like a failure numerous times doesn't seem helpful.

For academic honesty, I didn't hear much about this at all until university. I noticed in practicum that a number of schools bring it up more often, specifically plagiarism. I think that reminder is helpful for students to know teachers are looking for it.

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Something that stood out for me in this document was, "Establish and clearly communicate expectations regarding assignments". While we may at first think of rubrics and exemplars when we hear this statement, I also believe that communicating expectations has to do with sharing learning goals - both personal and curriculum based.

A question I had while reading regarded late work. What is reasonable vs punitive?

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Although the policy says that teachers should give an adequate amount of time for assignment due dates, I feel as though many teachers have a very strict due date policy, and are not considerate of other things happening in students lives. I think this is something we need to change.

Should the principal have the final say in assigning credits? Seeing as they do not know the students as well?

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In terms of weight of summative assessments, the document says to use discretion in terms of the value assigned to summative assessments with regard to the richness and value of the assessments. I really appreciated the amount of professional judgement that the document afforded. I went to a PD on assessment and the presenter was rather perscriptive about how assignments should be weighted, with the newest evidence always weighted more highly than evidence from earlier in the term.

I'm wondering about how these two different strategies might change students' overall marks in the course, but also how they participate in class and feel about completing assessments.

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Assessment and time management for it. I didn’t realize how to conduct or how long it would take. How do you manage it

Retention. I find it harsh and although sometimes needed, it seems like it should be a very last resource option. I also though region was left to the teachers decision

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1. I think there should be more information or mentions to providing students feedback because this is an important piece of assessment that can have an impact on student learning

2. How does one provide an appropriate consequence for late or missing work that is fair and beneficial to student learning?

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I agreed that the 3 main responsibilities of the teacher are clear and fair.
- Establish and communicate expectations
- set reasonable timelines
- establish, communicate and apply concesquences

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How different are the school division policies in different divisions? Are there any drastic difference when comparing?

I thought that the retention policy was more up to the teacher. I haven't experienced anyone that has been held back in k-8 but in 9-12, Is it uncommon to happen in early middle years?

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How do we hold students accountable if they are able to hand in assignments whenever they want? Shouldn't there be deadlines?
I think we need to still hold students accountable for their learning and ensure that they are doing the work required to actually receive their grade instead of just handing it to them.

The principal having the final say on whether the student should pass or not is something that I find kind of strange. Why should they be the one who makes this decision when they are not responsible for the childs learning and have no idea what level the student is at and whether they are able to be moved into a higher grade level.

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1. One of the reasons retention is seen as demeaning is because our grades are divided among age groups. If skill level and personal development played as big of a role as age in determining a student’s grade level, then retention would be seen as a healthy and justified thing.

2. What’s your own opinion on retention/promotion? Is it needed? How would you change it?

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I think academic honesty needs to be communicated and reinforced more frequently. I have never heard of it brought up in my of my practicum experiences. If you are bringing it up often, there should be no excuses for it actually happening and if it does, you have a leg to stand on when discussing next steps.

A question I had, Is it more beneficial to work with students to establish consequences for late work, academic dishonesty, etc. or to have a constant school-wide strategy that the student has no say in?

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I thought it was interesting looking at the policy for retention in grades K-8. I always thought you couldn’t hold students back in those grades, but reading the policy both K-8 and 9-12 promotion/retention is at the discretion of the principal with consultations.

I also found it interesting in the academic responsibility policy, it said teachers should collaborate with the students/other stuff to coordinate timing of major assignments. Last class talking about changes needed, my group mentioned this as a change that should happen, so it is funny seeing this included in the policy.

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I thought the following strategies mentioned in the document are effective in supporting students in their assignments:

Solicit and consider student input and collaborate with other staff to coordinate the timing of major assignments

I think teachers should discuss their assignment deadlines into consideration with other major assignments in other classes. This could be achieved through a class discussion to determine due dates. So in case students do not have two tests on the same day for example.

Assist students to manage time effectively—monitoring student progress at each stage of a complex assignment can ensure they stay on track

This has helped me a lot as a student and a teacher. Assigning a big project in chunks has helped me keep track of where my students are and has made it less stressful for me as a student.