Classroom Policies

Jul 09, 2015 Establishing a set of classroom rules on your first day back to school will set the tone for a productive new school year. Pick 5-10 classroom rules from the big list below that would best fit your students. Write down your main classroom rules on a chart and hang the rules in a highly visible area of the classroom. Classroom Management Rules and Expectations Improve Learning There’s no doubt that the clearer the rules and expectations are, the more likely students will be to learn. Rules define the parameters of behavior for students, so they know what’s expected of them and also what behaviors are “out of bounds.”.

Classroom Policies And Procedures
College Classroom Policies
Classroom Procedures Template
Classroom Policies And Procedures
Classroom Policies Using Modals Of Permission

May 10, 2019 Always come to the classroom in complete uniform as described in school policy. It is good to plate your hair if you have a long one and avoid jewelry. Make sure that dresses are washed properly and socks are changed daily. Coming to classroom presentable can help you stay fresh day long. Classroom rules are important for all ages – even middle school and high school students. Start your school year or even your lessons with a discussion of the ground rules. By setting the ground rules at the start, you’ll be setting the tone for the rest of your time with your students. How to Write Class Rules.

'It is the business of a university to provide that atmosphere which is most conducive to speculation, experiment and creation. It is an atmosphere in which there prevail 'the four essential freedoms' of a university--to determine for itself on academic grounds who may teach, what may be taught, how it shall be taught, and who may be admitted to study.'

--Sweezy v. New Hampshire, 354 U.S. 234, 263 (1957)

I. Legal Standard of Review

In general, the legal standard of review for governmental decisions (such as classroom policies set by faculty members at a public institution) is the rational basis test. In other words, the decisions faculty members make on how to conduct their classes are likely to be upheld in a court of law if they are reasonable, meaning that they are not arbitrary and capricious, based on malice, or based on illegal discrimination (e.g., based on an individual’s race, religion, gender, disability, or national origin). A faculty member should always be prepared to articulate a rational justification for any classroom policy he or she imposes. For example, a faculty member may proscribe certain conduct in the classroom because it would be disruptive to the teaching or educational process.

II. Grades

For the most part, courts leave grading policies to the discretion of the faculty member, within the academic standards established by the institution. Grade challenges by students are not likely to be successful in court unless there is an underlying violation of the student's right, such as illegal discrimination. One court has found that a faculty member's award of a grade was an exercise of his First Amendment right to free speech, and the institution therefore violated his free speech when it attempted to force him to change the grade. The court also held, however, that the university could have changed the student's grade itself.

Generally, a grading policy will be enforceable if it is based on the students' performance and other standards relevant to the educational process. A grade based in part upon an unrelated factor, such as what the faculty member thinks of the student as a person, is less likely to be enforceable. Clearly unenforceable policies are those that are arbitrary, discriminatory, or malicious.

III. Special Considerations

1. Illegal Discrimination in General

Faculty members should make sure that their classroom policies do not have the effect (intentional or unintentional) of illegally discriminating on the basis of race, gender, national origin, religion, or disability. Differential treatment based on one of these 'protected' classes will result in the application of 'strict scrutiny' by a court and require a 'compelling governmental interest' to justify the practice. An otherwise discriminatory practice must be justified by a very important reason.

Policies likely to involve illegal discrimination against a protected class:

attendance/absence/tardiness (religion, disability)
participation (disability)
papers, projects, and tests/exams (race, gender, national origin, religion, disability)
appropriate dress (religion)

2. Disability

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that the University provide reasonable accommodations to those students who identify themselves as disabled and request such accommodation. As students are not required to disclose a disability, faculty members should not ask a student about whether he/she is disabled. However, if a student identifies him or herself as disabled and requests a reasonable accommodation from a faculty member, the faculty member should refer the student to the Disability Services Office, which will register the student and provide necessary assistance or information on accommodations specific to his/her disability. (See University Policy 501). Classroom policies should be flexible enough to accommodate disabilities.

Policies likely to involve ADA protections:

attendance/absences/tardiness
participation
papers, projects, tests/exams

3. Religious Accommodation

University officials will make a good faith effort to accommodate a student’s religious practice or belief, unless it would create an undue hardship. University policy requires that a student be provided reasonable accommodation for a sincerely held religious belief, including a minimum of two excused absences each academic year for attendance at religious observances required by the student’s religious practices or belief. A student must submit a request form so that the faculty member will have opportunity to approve an excused absence in advance.

In addition, a student should be allowed to make up any tests or missed work, without penalty, due to an excused absence for a religious observance. Accordingly, a faculty member’s classroom policies should be flexible enough to accommodate student absences for religious observances.

Policies likely to involve religious accommodations:

attendance/absences/tardiness
participation (e.g., requirement to engage in conduct proscribed by a religious belief)
tests/exam schedules
appropriate dress

4. Pregnancy

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits sex discrimination—including discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth and parental status—at all education levels, including postsecondary institutions. On June 25, 2013 the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) issued guidance on supporting the academic success of pregnant and parenting students under Title IX. This guidance states that it is illegal under Title IX to exclude pregnant students from participating in any part of an educational program, including extracurricular activities. In addition, a University must treat pregnancy as it treats other medical leave situations, which means a student returning after pregnancy leave must be reinstated to the status she held when her leave began.

Pursuant to DOE’s guidance, the University must excuse a student’s absences because of pregnancy or childbirth for as long as the student’s doctor deems the absences medically necessary, and the University should offer the student reasonable alternatives to simply making up missed work. For example, a student might be allowed to retake a semester course, take part in an on-line course recovery program, or allowed additional time in a program to continue at the same pace and finish at a later date, especially after longer periods of leave. In the end, a pregnant student should be allowed to choose how to make up missed work or to otherwise proceed with her course of study without excessive penalty following her medically required leave.

Updated October 16, 2013

Students need to know what to bring to class on a regular basis. Consider the needs for each class you teach and list them below:

Class 1: ________________________________________________________

Class 2: ________________________________________________________

Class 3: ________________________________________________________

Class 4: ________________________________________________________

Class 5: ________________________________________________________

It’s important for students to learn responsibility. However, some students willingly and regularly sacrifice learning by deliberately coming to class unprepared. Some teachers say, “Too bad; your loss.” However, with teachers and students being held directly accountable for learning, that kind of response seems ill-advised. The learning must happen! A better approach might be to provide materials for student use with some kind of “fee” involved. Here are two possibilities:

Examples

Give materials to students for a “rental fee” that is deducted from participation points.
Loan materials but require collateral that is returned to the student when the borrowed materials are returned to you. (A shoe makes great collateral!)

My policy for dealing with students who forget materials

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Many students spend an inordinate amount of time and energy trying to get out of class and into the halls. You need a policy for hall passes. If there is no school-wide policy, create your own. Here are some ideas:

Examples

Write an individual pass for each request and keep a record. Excessive requests = end of hall pass privileges.
Grant passes on an emergency basis only. (Some schools institute a passes only in case of the four B’s: barfing, bleeding, burned, or broken bones.) Too many “emergencies” mean a phone call home and/or to the designated health staff member.
Each marking period, give students a certain number of generic passes they can use to go their lockers or to the bathroom. Unused passes can be turned in for treats or extra credit.
Give out coupons as rewards for class participation or as an alternative for extra credit. These coupons can be used for late work, bathroom passes, and/or locker passes.

My policy for hall passes (nurse/locker/bathroom/etc.)

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Note: Make sure no student leaves without a pass, and that only one student leaves at a time. Emphasize that school nurses/office staff are there for emergency situations and legally mandatedmedical services for specific students. Keeping band-aids in your room will reduce students’ trips out of the room.

Dealing with tardy students involves both policy and procedure. Define exactly what you mean by being “tardy” to class. Here are some possibilities:

Examples

Students who are not in their seats and ready to work when the bell rings are tardy.
Students who are not in the room when the bell rings are tardy. (Some teachers make exceptions for students who obviously are hurrying to get to class and just don’t quite make it in time.)
Students who enter class after the door has been closed are tardy.

My definition of tardy

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Have a definite procedure that tardy students enter without disruption and bring a pass if it is an excused tardy. No “going back” for a pass!

Excused Tardies

Give the pass directly to the teacher.
Put the pass in a specific place and take their seats.

My excused tardy procedure

_______________________________________________________________________________

Unexcused Tardies

You also need a procedure for tardy students who enter class without a pass. Here are some choices:

Jot down the student’s name or mark it on your attendance sheet.
Have the students write their own names on an unexcused tardy list that has a place for name, date, and arrival time.
Have the students fill out a tardy form that they put in a specific place.

My unexcused tardies procedure

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You also need to consider the in-class consequences, if any, for students who have an unexcused tardy.

Let the students start any work already in progress but give no extra time to complete it.
Give a zero for any work already in progress.

My natural consequences for unexcused tardies

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Note: At some point, unexcused tardies may become an issue that requires more formal intervention. Check with other teachers and school policies as needed.

Classroom Policies And Procedures

If assigning homework in some form is a reality for you, you need a consistent procedure for making that happen. Here are some possibilities:

Examples

Have a large homework calendar that you keep in the room. Post and verbally announce assignments.
Publish a weekly assignment schedule.
On the first day of the school week, have students copy the week’s homework on an assignment calendar.
Post homework at the beginning of class as part of the day’s plan. (Be aware that this encourages some students to sneak class time to get their homework done.)
Use the last ten minutes of class to announce the homework and then let students get started so they can ask any questions they need to.

Special hint from Martha Riley: Always make sure the first homework question is something that every student can answer easily!

My system for assigning homework

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Note: It would be worth your while to consult The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn and “As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It” in the September 12, 2006 Washington Post article by Valerie Strauss found at washingtonpost.com.

School handbooks usually define what constitutes excused and unexcused absences, whether missed work can be made up for credit or not, and the number of days students have to complete it. What remains for you to decide is what your procedure will be.

Make sure your procedure keeps students from interrupting you during direct instruction or coming to you and asking, “Did I miss anything?” Here are some possibilities:

Make-Up Work for Excused Absences

Examples

The teacher takes the responsibility for giving students all the necessary make-up work and negotiates a due date.
Teachers make folders for absentees. Returning students check their folders for missed work.
Students check a posted assignment calendar or online listing. Then they get any papers they need from a “make-up” basket.
Teachers assign “study-buddies” who collect work for absent students and give it to their returning partners.

Joanie Funderburk uses a class log system. Each day one student in each class completes a log of what took place. They put it and any necessary papers in a folder that previously absent students check when they return. Please see “Class Log” for a class log based on the one Joanie uses.

My policy for make-up work from excused absences

_________________________________________________________________________

My procedure for getting and handing in make-up work from excused absences

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Make-Up Work for Unexcused Absences

You need to know the school policy for what constitutes an unexcused absence. For example, are suspensions out of school regarded as unexcused absences? You also need to know how long students have to clear unexcused absences. There also may be a policy that says that students can complete work from unexcused absences and turn it in, but you do not have to grade it or give any credit.

My definition of an unexcused absence

_______________________________________________________________________________

My policy if I accept make-up work from unexcused absences

_______________________________________________________________________________

Class Log

Name of Class _____________________________ Period _______

Date _________ Note Taker _______________________________

Student(s) Absent _______________________________________

____________________________________________________

Quiz/Test Given (if any) Work Collected

_______________________________________________________________________________

College Classroom Policies

_______________________________________________________________________________

Class Activities (Please include any notes and examples.)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Announcements/Important Information

_______________________________________________________________________________

Homework Assigned

_______________________________________________________________________________

Based on a log developed by Joanie Funderburk, Cherry Creek Schools, and used with her permission

Late work is work that is not ready to be handed in when the assignment is collected. Common exceptions are for students who are staffed in special education and have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that mandates that they get extra time or for students who get more time because of accommodations mandated in a 504 Plan. If your school does not have a formal late work policy for you to follow, here are some options to consider:

Examples

Classroom Procedures Template

Accepting late work on a regular basis sends the wrong “life message” to students and creates a grading nightmare for teachers. Therefore, many teachers never accept late work.
Late work should not be accepted on a regular basis, but we all have bad days. Therefore, give students one “reprieve” per grading period. You can give an automatic amnesty for one late paper or give coupons that can be used for late work, treats, and/or extra credit. Another possibility is to drop each student’s lowest score per quarter. (Grades on major tests or projects are excluded.)
Accept late work but reduce the percentage of credit given according to the number of days the work is late. For example, one day late = 80% credit.

My policy for late work

_______________________________________________________________________________

Note: If you do accept late work, be sure you establish the procedure for turning it in. Also, establish a clear due date for it to be turned in. Otherwise you will be sitting up all night grading papers the night before report card grades must be submitted.

Giving a few extra credit points for more challenging questions on tests or as rewards for special effort is not a problem. However, giving extra credit that can have a major impact on a final grade, especially accepting extra credit that consists of mountains of “stuff” that students throw together at the last minute in a desperate attempt to raise their grade, is not in the best interests of the students and creates incredible last-minute stress for you.

Russ Doren says it best: “Extra credit is NOT substitute credit.”

Extra credit work should be thoughtful work, assigned with the goal of expanding a student’s knowledge. Define extra credit in these terms, insist that students complete a formal proposal for any extra credit work they want to complete, and make extra credit due before the last minute.

Proposal writing has two advantages. First, it discourages “substitute credit” seekers. Second, it gives an excellent framework for those students who truly want to learn more.

My extra credit policy

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Classroom Policies And Procedures

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My extra credit procedure

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Following is a sample extra credit proposal.

Extra Credit Proposal

Name of class __________________________ Period ______

Title of project ______________________________________

Summary of project ___________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Form of final product (written report, video, etc.) ________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

How project will be publicized (report to class, displayed in school, etc.)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Materials/resources needed ______________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Proposed budget total _________________________________________

Itemized estimate _____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Classroom Policies Using Modals Of Permission

______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

How project will be evaluated ____________________________________

Amount of extra credit requested_______ Amount granted________

Teacher’s signature of approval ________________________

Date of approval ____________________________________

This project must be turned in at the end of the school day on ________