Accountability for Students

Students also share accountability for their own learning. They should be actively involved in their own learning, make decisions about their learning and be held responsible for asking questions, being clear about the expectations for their work, and for completing assignments.

Sounds simple but it is much more complex. Many schools provide students with the support they need to be successful. Here are some strategies that support students and help them to be accountable for their work.

• Provide exemplars for all work and rubrics that students can use to assess their success on assignments.
• Adopt a grading policy of A, B or Not Yet.
• Provide opportunities for students to revise and resubmit work.
• Include support and scaffolding in classroom instruction.
• Include engaging instructional activities connected to real life
• Provide quality and timely feedback on student work.
• Act consistently on the belief that each student can learn, will learn, and your power to help them do so.

Increasing accountability for students is important. But it requires that teachers and principals look closely at their instructional practices to assure that they provide students with the support they need to be successful.