How to Hold Students Accountable

Student accountability is essential because it encourages pupils to take responsibility for their learning and actions. When pupils are taught the value of accountability from a young age, it carries over into all aspects of their lives, making them more well-rounded. Pupils, in turn, learn to value their work and likely increase their confidence levels. This prepares pupils for life beyond high school, whether advancing their education, entering the workforce, or combining both.

Prioritize human relationships by using consistent structures for checking in/monitoring progress.

By making time to check in as a class, set goals, and conference around those goals, you can strengthen and maintain those relationships and keep pupils on the path. A class meeting is also an excellent time for pupils to brainstorm and share what routines might need readjusting to serve your whole class community better.

• Could you provide consistency by thresholding to come up to greet pupils at the door? This helps keep each pupil accountable for attending class and feeling valued in a virtual, hybrid, or in-person setting.
• Use a class meeting or morning meeting time to celebrate success, set goals, talk about and tweak any class rules, or share updates. As an educator, there is much material to cover, but those few minutes you spend in this meeting will be worth it.
• Try conferencing with students: Student conferences with the teacher and data review and goal-setting conferences can help your students reflect on their progress, receive teacher feedback, and—if necessary—brainstorm solutions for accountability.

Coach tip

One teacher always started her lessons by greeting each pupil so they knew She saw and valued them. This automatically held them accountable for being in class. Then, she moved into our class meeting time. By making a routine around greeting pupils and meeting with pupils as a class and then individually, pupils know what to expect and that their presence, voice, and work matter. Additionally, by conferencing individually with pupils, she got to know them on a deeper level and by strengthening that relationship, they stayed more accountable.

Engaging Students in Learning

We all know that, at times, pupils “tune out” whether they’re in person or across a screen. Provide stopping points or checkpoints for pupils to interact with each other, complete a quick exit ticket, or give peer feedback on assignments. If you are holding a class in an online or hybrid environment, giving pupils online “jobs” can also make them conscious that they are involved in the lesson.

• By making exit tickets, you can sustain track of pupil progress and keep pupils accountable for the learning in each part of the lesson. Many online platforms, such as Google Forms, can help you make a simple and quick exit ticket if you work online.
• A chalk talk or silent discussion is a meaningful way to involve all pupils in thinking at any part of a lesson or unit. In-person students can use sticky notes or coloured markers. Online pupils can use platforms like Padlet or Google Jamboard.
• Utilize peer feedback tools: Giving and receiving peer feedback helps students stay accountable for improving their work but also the work of others.

Coach tip

Try classroom jobs to give control and make them aware and valued throughout the acquisition of the learning process. For example, many jobs in the in-person classroom can be transitioned into online learning, such as the “timekeeper,” and there is room for many roles unique to online learning, like the “chat monitor.” For online classrooms, reflect on the structures you used within the walls of a physical classroom and consider how you could bring those to life online. In one classroom, the favourite feedback tool in person was “glow and grow”, so while online; they continued to give this feedback within different sharing options like Google Docs.

How Teachers Can Create a Culture of Trust and Responsibility

Student accountability gets down to establishing the right learning environment. A great place to begin is by teaching and teaching the core competencies of social-emotional learning, in which pupils learn to understand and pull off their emotions, set and accomplish positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, build and hold positive relationships, and make responsible choices.

When pupils feel connected to each other and their instructor and learn that their actions have consequences, they are more likely to take responsibility for their behaviour and learning.

To promote student accountability, teachers must also create an environment where all students feel trusted and respected and have the support they need for success. “If students sense that they are not welcome, accepted, or supported in the classroom, it is unlikely that they will engage in classroom activities,” says education researcher Robert Marzano. This also applies to distance or blended learning. “Carol Goodenow (1993) found teacher support was consistently the strongest predictor of motivation among sixth through eighth grades students.”

Give Students Clear-cut Directions to Self-assess their Work

In practice, pupils need clear-cut direction on assessing their work and progress without an instructor in the room. Studies suggest that students are more likely to assume responsibility for their learning if they regularly reflect on and evaluate their work. “When students self-evaluate their progress toward learning, reflect on their learning, and generate strategies for more learning, they will show improved performance with meaningful motivation,” one research paper indicates.

Building self-reflection assignments as part of larger projects can help. While talking, this provides opportunities for pupils to stop, assess, and ensure they understand their progress before moving on. But for this to work, teachers must set obvious expectations and offer methods for students to check their work.

Pupils should know whether they’ve met the criteria before getting a grade. Vicky Davis, the host of the 10-minute Teacher Podcast, suggests giving students rubrics up front. This way, they know the criteria and can assess and track their progress throughout large, complex projects.

Create a “just right” Learning Environment For your Class

A “just right” learning environment is precisely how it sounds: a learning environment that is correct for your pupils. According to students, an environment where pupils feel connected to each other is essential at any age and grade level. This helps students take responsibility for their actions and behaviour, which is necessary to support your classroom running smoothly. Having a classroom that fosters trust, respect, and safety creates an engaging learning environment where pupils expect to be held accountable for their actions by their instructors, classmates, and themselves.

Have Students Own their Learning

As a teacher, this excuse you have heard the most, “Well, my parents didn’t put the assignment in my bookbag”, or “You didn’t tell me I needed to do this.” One way to encourage students is to own their learning and have an active role in decisions about their education. It is crucial to give pupils a voice in the learning process. This is an integral part of increasing accountability as it makes pupils feel accountable for themselves. Making mistakes at any age is one of the best ways to learn. Errors can lead to learning, and when students hold themselves accountable for their learning, academic and social-emotional growth is inevitable.

Support of Families is Essential

Taken together, supporting families is more essential now than ever! Many researchers agree that creating a solid connection between the school and homework environments is vital. One reason can be that parents and guardians need to feel backed by the teachers to give the help at home necessary for increased success and student achievement. Setting the proper support for each pupil and their families is imperative to their success and helps to gain support from families in student accountability.