Parents and students will see a 7-point assignment categorized as ”Organizational Skill” in my gradebook. This assignment basically just informs parents and students how well or how badly a student handles their phone in my class.
The assignment should be an easy “A”, with responsible students getting a tiny grade boost. At 7 points, which is usually about 1% of the total grade, it hardly stings even the worst offenders.
Here is the text of the phone assignment that I insert into the description of the assignment, and which lays out what it means:
This assignment measures how appropriately the student controls their cell phone.
* A score of 7 means the student uses their cell phone in an ethical and appropriate manner, or not at all.
* A score of 5 or 6 means the student occasionally texts, games, or whatever in a way that distracts them from learning.
* A score of 2, 3, or 4 means that the student cannot control their phone and have to take it from time to time.
* A score of 1 means the student has used their phone to cheat and is no longer allowed to have their phone turned on in class.
* A score of 0 means the student has violated district policy or the privacy of others and their phone is no longer allowed to be turned on in my class.
James Couture 