Three Classroom Policies and Procedures You Need To Consider

As a new teacher, one of your primary goals for the start of the year is to establish a positive and productive learning environment.  The implementation of clear and reasonable classroom policies and procedures will aid this process.  Not only that, but sound policies can save you a ton of headaches and stress throughout the year.

What’s the Difference Between Classroom Expectations and Policies?

Classroom expectations (also known as “rules”) outline your basic standards for student behavior in your class. They are usually general in nature and are stated positively. For example: 

Example Expectation: “All students should listen respectfully while the teacher is talking.” 

Classroom Expectations Are Typically Similar From Teacher to Teacher

It’s been our experience that classroom expectations are similar in nature from teacher to teacher.  It’s better to state them positively.  Say “Be respectful” as opposed to “Don’t be disrespectful”.  These rules provide the basis for a positive classroom culture.  

Keep your list of rules short; 4-6 is about right.  A common set of classroom expectations are listed below (feel free to use them in your class!)::

1. Be respectful of yourself and others.
2. Use language that is not vulgar or hurtful.
3. Act in a way that supports learning for all members of the class.
4. Be on time and prepared with the necessary materials.
5. Follow all school rules.

It’s always a good idea to post these expectations in your classroom and refer back to them from time to time. 

Now that your rules have been decided, let’s move on to some bigger decisions: policies and procedures.

Classroom Procedure #1

Will you assign seats or allow students to choose their seats?

Why it matters:

As a teacher, you have two main goals: establish a positive learning environment and maximize student learning.  Every veteran teacher can recall a time when a “tough” class completely changed for the better with a few tweaks of the seating chart.  

Creating a great seating chart can be like a complicated puzzle: assigning 30 students (or more) to desk locations that meet their unique learning needs.  It’s an art.

And it’s becoming something of a lost art. More and more, teachers are deciding to ditch the assigned seats in favor of a more student-friendly approach.

Arguments in favor of the teacher assigning seats: 

• Sets the tone that you’re in control and that your class is a productive place of learning
• Fewer behavior problems.  If you let students sit near their friends, they will.
• You have control over the placement of students who require extra help or a positive role model as a partner (often mandated by IEPs/504s)
• Can be less awkward for new students or any student without a ton of friends in that class
• Easier for you to learn names at the start of the year 

Arguments in favor of allowing the students to choose their seats:

• Sets the tone that you value student comfort and autonomy
• Displays a level of “trust” that students are capable of choosing the best seat for them
• Most students prefer this policy

Our verdict: assign seats.

Although assigning seats has fallen out of favor in the past 3-5 years, it is still a very sound practice for teachers. We’ve seen newer teachers start the year by “nicely” allowing students to choose their seats only to deal with discipline issues later on.  By October, they are introducing a seating chart with students who are none too happy to give up that seat next to their friend.  Consider starting the year with a seating chart and then, if you feel comfortable, allowing students to choose their seats later in the year.  

Two caveats: 

1. The decision to assign seats can vary by age group.  A seating chart with 6th graders feels necessary – and they’ll probably accept your control.  On the other hand, allowing 12th graders to select their seats is probably a non-issue.
2. It may be worth asking around to get a feel for what other teachers at your school do for seating arrangements.  Having a policy that isn’t too far from the norm will make implementation easier.  

Tips for creating a seating chart:

• Explain your rationale for using a seating chart: to put everyone in a place where they can be successful.
• Explain that you don’t discuss seat assignments in front of the class (no need to embarrass anyone) but you are happy to chat after class, in private, about possibly moving a student’s seat.
• Change the seating chart every 10-15 weeks to keep it fresh and give those kids who don’t love their assigned seat a break.
• Some teachers use “4th quarter students choose their seats” as a motivating reward throughout the year.

Classroom Procedure #2

What is your restroom policy?

Why it matters:

Your goal is a safe and productive learning environment while limiting disruption related to restroom use.  Student requests to use the restroom will be a daily occurrence.  

Creating a clear policy serves you in two ways.  First, teaching is a job filled with hundreds of quick decisions.  A policy will save you from some of those. Second, a policy should be fair for all students and allow you to sidestep the “Hey, but you let that student go!” accusations.

Background information: 15 years ago, nearly every teacher issued a restroom pass (on paper) with roughly five trips allowed per semester.  At the end of the semester, any unused trips were converted to extra credit.  

The result: students either made a point to use the restroom during breaks or they tried their best to wait until after class.  They wanted the extra credit.  About 50% of the students NEVER asked to use the restroom all year.  Another 25% used it a couple of times and about 25% used all their passes.  (If they used up their passes, they could still go, of course, but sometimes would “owe” the teacher a minute or so after school.)

What changed?  Parents complained that their child, who had used all of their restroom trips, was losing points for going to the bathroom.  The policy was viewed as draconian and “forced” students to sit uncomfortably in class in order to earn points. It was probably time for that practice to end.  Now, most teachers allow unlimited restroom use.

Positives of unlimited restroom use:

• Students are able to use the restroom without “penalty” or fear of losing points
• This is a respectful and humane approach to a basic daily need

Negatives of unlimited restroom use:

• Any time a student wants to get out of class, they can easily do it
• Some students will abuse the policy and use the restroom nearly every day
• Easy for students to meet friends from other classes at a specified time
• Less time in class reduces learning opportunities and increases the work for teachers to get them up to speed on what they missed

Tips for Managing Restroom Use:

1. Absolutely have a system for keeping track of restroom use.  (The most common is a sign-out sheet.)
2. Asking students to sign in/out with the time can limit the number of minutes spent outside of class.
3. A “one student at a time” policy helps prevent hallway shenanigans. 
4. Consider notifying parents if you feel restroom use is excessive. Be sure to cite the data from your tracking system. 
5. Establish expectations that a restroom trip is no more than 5 minutes (or whatever time you feel is reasonable).
6. Strongly think about a policy that does not allow restroom use during the first 10 minutes of class. This allows you to start the class right as the bell rings – an important goal for new teachers. You’ll get students who want to drop off their things and “extend the passing period” by using the restroom right away.  
7. If you’re in the middle of teaching something critical, it’s ok to ask the student if they can wait a few minutes until you’re done with the lecture or with your directions.  Most times, they’ll be fine with that.
8. When in doubt, let a student go.

Classroom Procedure #3

What is your test/quiz retake policy?

Why it matters:

Back in the day, students would take a quiz or test and the grade they got is…what they got.  The current trend in education is to provide opportunities for students to “fix” their poor quiz or test grades.  This might take the form of test corrections or even test retakes.

Advantages of letting students retake quizzes or tests:

1. Promotes the ultimate goal: learn the material.  
2. Is a student-friendly policy given their hectic extracurricular or work schedules.
3. Shows flexibility on your part, which helps in parent meetings.

Disadvantages to letting students retake quizzes or tests:

1. There is little to no urgency to study.
2. More work and more time outside of class for you.  Sometimes the time spent on retakes can be offputting.
3. Do you make a new assessment or use the original?  If they’ve seen the graded original test, they know the answers.  Making a new one is time-consuming.

Tips on Allowing Retakes of Your Quizzes and Tests:

• If you offer assessment retakes, consider making the max score on a retake lower than an A. This provides a reward for those students who studied and scored well on their first try.
• Instead of making an entirely new test, change the question order.  It feels like a new test!
• A retake is something nice you’re doing for students.  It isn’t a requirement that you offer this.  Retakes should be done at a time that is convenient for you and not a lot of extra work.  
• If you opt for test corrections instead of having students retakes the test, format that so students have to demonstrate knowledge as opposed to just changing an answer from “True” to “False”.  Test corrections should require thoughtful work on the part of the student. 
• Outline your retake policy in the course syllabus at the start of the year.

An Example Assessment Retake Policy

I’ll briefly share my own retake policy, which was honed over the years and resulted in very few student or parent complaints.

Sample Quiz Retake Policy:

• Quizzes are usually worth fewer points with minimal impact on grades.
• Quizzes are almost always open-note.  I almost never sprung a “pop quiz” on students.
• Students cannot retake quizzes if they scored poorly. (This was rare if they had good notes.)

Note: another current trend is that smaller quizzes do not count as a grade. Their sole purpose is formative assessment: to let the student and teacher know how they’re doing at that point in the unit.  

Sample Test Retake Policy: 

• This policy is for Summative Assessments (end of unit) 
• These tests are rarely open-note, but occasionally I allow students to bring in a student-generated  (handwritten) notecard for use during the test
• How test retakes work:
• If a student scores a C, D, or F they can retake the test.  Students who score an A, B, or C+ cannot retake.
• In the interest of time, I usually use the same test for retakes.
• On the retake, the best score a student can get is a C+, even if they get every question right. 
• On the retake, students can use their notes, they can ask me for help…whatever it takes to get to a C+.
• Retakes are done before or after school at a time convenient for me.  I usually give 4-5 time slots during a week for retakes.  If a student doesn’t come in by then, their first test score becomes final.

Other Policies and Procedures To Think About

Absences:

What if a student is absent?  How should they get the makeup work?

If a student misses a test day, when and how will they make that up?

Do any of your policies differ if an absence if unexcused or if the student cut class?

When you are absent, what are your expectations for the students with a substitute teacher?

Electronic Devices:

What should a student do if their device is not charged?

What should a student do if their device is not working properly?

Daily Procedures:

What do you want students to do when they walk into your classroom each day?

How will you collect papers?

When working in groups, what are your expectations?

What are your expectations if a student needs to sharpen their pencil?

What do you want students to do if they don’t have the required materials (pencil, paper, etc) for class that day?

What do want the end of the period to look like?  When is it ok to pack up?  Will you ask students to stay seated or will they gather near the door?

Emergencies:

If a student feels sick to their stomach, what do you want them to do?

What are your expectations if the fire alarm goes off?

What are your expectations if the school enters lockdown?

Brad has taught history at the middle and high school levels for 19 years, almost exclusively in American public schools.  He holds a master’s in educational technology and is passionate about elevating the status of professional educators.