High School Classroom Behavior Policy Procedures
Improve Student Learning Environment with Clear Teacher Expectations
Sep 2, 2008
High school teachers must establish daily practices that communicate efficiency, competency, and organization to their students. Therefore, teachers must master a variety of techniques for establishing smooth routines. Here is a simple document that will help teachers and students create common ground during the beginning of the school year.
Daily Classroom Routines
This paragraph should contain a detailed description of the daily procedures you expect students to follow on a day-to-day basis. You can include the materials you want students to bring to class each day, the format you would like students to follow when organizing their notebook or class binder, and the way you plan to handle specific student requests.
Announce Tests and Quizzes
This should define your procedures for tests and quizzes. Do you plan to give regularly scheduled or “pop” quizzes? Either way, you’ll want to inform students of your quizzing procedures up front to avoid issues later in the year. Inform students of your testing calendar as well. Be sure to answer the following questions:
- Will you distribute a monthly calendar?
- Post it on a bulletin board?
- Update your classroom website?
- Create a quarterly syllabus?
- What is your testing make-up policy?.
- Does your school assign specific testing days for certain subjects?
- When do you give midterm and final exams?
Make-up Work Policy
List the procedure for absent students to make-up missed class work and homework. Let students know when you are available to help students who have been absent.
- Will you assist these students at the beginning of class, at the end of class, or while students are working independently?
- Do you expect students to visit you during lunch or after school?
- Do you have a “make-up work” table set up for self-service available in your classroom?
- What is your timeline for missed assignments? For example, if a student missed two days of school, do you allow him two days to make up work without a late penalty?
- When is it too late to make up a missing assignment?
When procedures and policies are explained up front, students cannot later try to negotiate with you.
Grading Procedure
Here is an opportunity for you to define your school-wide grading scale and classroom grading procedures.
- Do you give students a participation grade? If so, do students begin the class with a zero or a 100 percent?
- What type of behavior is rewarded?
- What type of behavior is penalized?
Consider allotting a certain number of points for participation and a certain number of points for preparedness. This way, you can use the preparedness grade to quickly spot-check some homework assignments instead of collecting papers and grading them individually. You will also want to establish a procedure for you to keep track of participation grades.
Cheating/ Plagiarism
Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses that should not be tolerated. Address this important matter in your policies and procedures document so students have no question about the consequences they face in your classroom.
Extra Credit
If you choose to make extra credit available in your classroom, this is where you will want to establish some ground rules so that students understand what may be included. If you do not offer extra credit in your classroom, let students know up front.
Classroom Behavior Rules
List your specific class rules for student behavior. Limit them to ten rules maximum that you consider most important. List them in order of significance to you, and point out your pet peeves. For example, if you absolutely insist on students being seated and ready to work when the final bell rings, let them know this is your strictest rule.
Classroom Behavior Consequences
Once you establish consequences, you need to follow through with them every single time. It goes without saying that students need to be treated equally when it comes to leniency and consequences. It is most fair to not allow exceptions to your rules unless there are extenuating circumstances.
At the end of the document, allow a space at the end of the document for your students and/or the students’ parents to sign and date. This way, all parties have acknowledged they possess an understanding of how you plan to run your classroom.
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