April 2, 2020

Below is a full screenshot of the computer I’m using during office hours:

Students need to look at this image carefully. Notice first that the assignment on the right — the self-assessment assigned on Tuesday and due yesterday — was completed by only 40% of you.

The next thing to notice is the Q3C gradebook open on the left. The names are blocked and randomized, so you can focus on the columns of GAP scores. Those numbers tell the story of each student’s academic progress.

Every day, my co-teachers and I are building a picture of how you’re doing. We are coordinating feedback, sharing data, taking notes — whatever it takes to give you what you need.

Distance learning makes the forms you complete essential to that progress. You must complete them. The 40% who didn’t make yesterday’s deadline aren’t penalized with a lower GAP score, however; there just isn’t any data for them.

This is true for the daily check-in, as well. Here is a document pulled together after five days of distance learning:

62 students have communicated a daily goal at least once in those five days. That is a bit more than 50%.

If you haven’t checked in each day and/or didn’t complete the self-assessment for April 1, you are missing. It’s no longer about grades and passing or failing; the potential for growth in GAP scoring should prevent that concern. The concern is that you are missing.

In other words, while we are away from the physical classroom, you cease to exist when you don’t communicate. There’s nothing for me or my co-teachers to see.

Take the next 24 hours and be sure — be absolutely certain — that you check in, complete the self-assessment about your progress, and firm up your intentions to stay in contact.

If you have questions, that’s a great place to start: Ask them here, in the comment section of this post, or send an email.

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4 Comments

  1. Is there a set time during the day to do the daily check in or can you just do it at any time?

    • Any time is fine — within reason, of course. Checking in for the day a few minutes before midnight doesn’t make sense. You might not get to this until early afternoon, however, and that’s fine.

  2. So one thing I wanna address is sleeping schedules. This is sort of off topic and more of I just want to discuss as it does have some effect on when I complete and get to my work. So due to my sleeping habits, I have come to a habit of doing my daily routine and being busy until later in the evening around 8-9. Im curious as to if I am the only person experiencing this and if so why. Is it the fact that we know we dont have to wake up early for school so we put off sleeping to goof around and play video games or watch youtube until 3am?

    • This is an excellent discussion for us all to have. It is absolutely related to our work in here. We talk often about building habits, and now we’ve had all of our structures and expectations disrupted — it’s an adjustment. We should try to make sense of it together.

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