stevenpiziks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stevenpiziks) wrote2021-05-15 02:25 pm
stevenpiziks) wrote2021-05-15 02:25 pm
End of Year Wind-Down--and Up
This coming week is the last one for seniors. They have class on Monday and Tuesday, then exams and Wednesday and Thursday. However, the exams are optional and "hold harmless," to boot. This means that the exam will only count if it helps the semester grade. If it would hurt the semester grade, the exam is ignored. Additionally, the district is again allowing students the option of taking a pass/fail grade instead of a letter grade.
Not surprisingly, only a handful of my seniors intend to take the final. I don't blame them. If I had an A in a class, why go through the stress and work of taking the final when it won't do anything? Only the failing and D students can really benefit from the exam, and most of my D students are planning to take the pass/fail grade. So my exam schedule this year is on the light side.
But every year we do get the flurry of last-minute, hail Mary makeup work. And this year we have an added wrinkle.
I was unexpectedly out of the building yesterday, an "A" day in which I meet with first, second, and third hours. As it happens, Monday is the corresponding "B" day, but it's only a half day, so fourth, fifth, and sixth hours are cut in half. This makes things difficult for teachers like me who want to keep their classes together. So I had the dual problem of what my "A" day students should do while I wasn't there, and how to handle the "B" student half-day.
I hit on a Good Idea. See, I normally grade late work at a sharp penalty. (When I don't, students invariably don't do their work on time.) I had the sub announce to my "A" classes that we were having Amnesty Friday. Any missing or late work turned in on that day would receive full credit. Out of fairness (and as a way of keeping everyone together), I'll also be offering Amnesty Monday for my "B" students. They can work on the missing assignments during class for that ONE day.
A side-effect of this Good Idea is that my inbox for Google Classroom was flooded with alerts that this student or that had turned in missing work. I spent all afternoon today grading them. Oi.
Meanwhile, the seniors are gearing up to leave. For most of them, Tuesday will be their last day!
We're all looking forward to the end of the school year, this year more than any other.
Not surprisingly, only a handful of my seniors intend to take the final. I don't blame them. If I had an A in a class, why go through the stress and work of taking the final when it won't do anything? Only the failing and D students can really benefit from the exam, and most of my D students are planning to take the pass/fail grade. So my exam schedule this year is on the light side.
But every year we do get the flurry of last-minute, hail Mary makeup work. And this year we have an added wrinkle.
I was unexpectedly out of the building yesterday, an "A" day in which I meet with first, second, and third hours. As it happens, Monday is the corresponding "B" day, but it's only a half day, so fourth, fifth, and sixth hours are cut in half. This makes things difficult for teachers like me who want to keep their classes together. So I had the dual problem of what my "A" day students should do while I wasn't there, and how to handle the "B" student half-day.
I hit on a Good Idea. See, I normally grade late work at a sharp penalty. (When I don't, students invariably don't do their work on time.) I had the sub announce to my "A" classes that we were having Amnesty Friday. Any missing or late work turned in on that day would receive full credit. Out of fairness (and as a way of keeping everyone together), I'll also be offering Amnesty Monday for my "B" students. They can work on the missing assignments during class for that ONE day.
A side-effect of this Good Idea is that my inbox for Google Classroom was flooded with alerts that this student or that had turned in missing work. I spent all afternoon today grading them. Oi.
Meanwhile, the seniors are gearing up to leave. For most of them, Tuesday will be their last day!
We're all looking forward to the end of the school year, this year more than any other.