Lesson+Planning+and+Grading

=Frequently Asked Questions about Lesson Planning, Grading, and Student Records=


 * Q: Why do I have to do lesson plans?**


 * A:** Lesson planning is an important aspect of your professional responsibility as a teacher. It is a criteria item on our district evaluation model, and all teachers are expected to effectively plan for instruction. Few teachers plan to fail but failing to plan is one of the biggest reasons for failure to effectively teach.


 * Q: What kind of planning must I do?**

The second instrument is more personalized to you. If the alignment document is an overview, then you may look at your lesson plans as a detailed (to what degree is up to you) description of daily plans. However, your plans must cover at least four components: **objectives** (what you plan to accomplish by your lesson; behavior terms are welcome but not required), **procedures** (briefly explain how you plan to accomplish your objectives within the context of actual classroom instruction), **evaluation** (how you will know the students have mastered what you have taught) and **homework**. **//The due date is weekly; the lesson plans should be kept and maintained by the individual teacher and available for demonstration to the evaluating administrator continuously.//**
 * A:** There are three instruments you will use to plan. The first is the alignment of teaching to assessment data. The alignment document is an instrument you will use to plan for your entire year of instruction. The alignment document is an overview of what you will be doing in your class for the term. I STRONGLY recommend that the alignment document be developed cooperatively within grade level.


 * Q: Do I have to make copies of my plans to turn in?**


 * A:** You should maintain your own copy of lesson plans to share with your evaluating administrator (as requested).
 * Q: Do I have to plan for the whole year ?**


 * A:** Yes.


 * Q: I already do an alignment document and plans, but I am not sure if my plans are okay. How do I know?**


 * A:** See your evaluating administrator immediately with a day of your plans and ask. Asking, instead of needlessly worrying, is always best. If there are problems with your plans, you will be contacted with requested revisions by your evaluating administrator.


 * Q: I am an excellent teacher, and I think all this lesson planning is detrimental to my artistic expression of teaching, and I just won’t do it. What will happen if I don’t do lesson plans?**


 * A:** You will be given an opportunity to do your plans. If you continue to neglect your responsibility as a teacher, you will receive intensive help and interventions to get your lesson planning up to expectations.


 * Q: My college/university really didn’t help me learn how to effectively plan. What should I do?**


 * A:** Immediately see your evaluating administrator who will provide you with the instruction you need to assist you. There are many staff development opportunities in this area.


 * Q: Why do I have to contact parents before giving a D or F?**

A: Our mission at Westwood Elementary is to educate all students so that they learn. If contacting a parent will cause an intervention that will motivate a child to learn and perform, then the effort made is more than worth it. If however, we contact the parent and no improvement is made, then we have maintained documentation of our contacts and interventions; so that the child has been provided every opportunity to improve prior to retention consideration. If a child cannot and/or will not perform to a satisfactory level then we cannot diminish the educational learning opportunities of other students.


 * Q: Why should I be concerned if a large number of my students are making D’s and/or F’s or all my students are making excellent grades?**

A: We teach so that students learn. If you, as the teacher, are confirming, through your own records, that students are not learning… then you can lower your standards and give students grades that indicate they are learning (**//NOT THE ANSWER//**) or you can learn to teach so that your students learn. Students who are not reading on grade level must receive grades related to grade level achievement NOT grades related to pleasantness. Conversely if all your students are performing well yet they are reading below grade level and/or have no command of math facts, computational success. or problem solving proficiency then there is a mismatch between grade level performance and grades. Please see the article written and published by Dr. Jan on the earlier link.


 * Q: My students are learning what I am teaching but their grades don’t reflect this because I use other means by which to grade them, so why should I be concerned about low grades?**

A: Your grading should reflect student learning.