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Post date: Feb 18, 2018 12:19:28 AM
Agenda 01.31.18.
Approval of Minutes
Reports
Cell Phone Motion Veto
Exam Discussion
10% Exam Discussion
Notes and New Business
Council Minutes 01.24.18
“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.” -Harold S. Geneen
1. Approval of Minutes
2. Reports
Mod: Thanks to everyone who was able to make short meeting last week. Went to middle school with A-Mod week before to have discussion about dress code.
A-Mod: Reminder that body is meeting for public forum on Cell Phone Motion Veto on Friday, Activity Period in the Auditorium. Remind Common Grounds that this meeting is public. Was not enough time to get course evaluation from Course Standardization Motion out for first semester, Administration plans to get it out for second semester. Recent staff meeting had dissent about Course Standardization Motion, which Mr. Campbell is considering before signing motion.
Treasurer: Council fund = $7096.28. Co-curricular fund = $4700. Some groups have not taken money out, such as UNICEF. Council fund and Co-curricular funds will change. Inactive club money was put back into Council fund a few weeks ago, but money fundraised from inactive club was moved back into another club.
Secretary: No alternates can vote.
DSB: Board finalized and passed budget. Board will wait one year before adding money to the budget for fixing the turf field.
Admin: Had well-run MLK day. Many people were interested by topic and speaker.
OEC: Talked about guidelines for moving Common Grounds for Council Members.
SAC: Staff will be voting on new Winter Carnival schedule.
SL: Talking about late-start motion for Wednesdays. Meeting to talk about social spaces. Want to make Ad-hoc committee for cafe.
CPP: Discussed Acceptance Use Policy that has to be updated every three years.
3. Assessment Under Absent Teacher Motion
“I move to add the following wording to the HHS Handbook under Section 6 (Academic Policies and Procedures) in Assignments and Grading:
A teacher may not schedule a test, quiz, or assessment for any of their classes on a day they are absent or the day after they are absent.
Teachers should be present to answer questions on review days and test days. It is not fair to students to have substitute teachers on the day of a test.
Some tests, such as reading check and vocabulary quiz do not necessitate the presence of a teacher.
Unclear what constitutes as a test. For example, unclear if reading check counts as a test.
If a test is well-structured, a student should not be allowed to ask questions to teacher, which allows for student to get an advantage.
Teachers effectively using time sometime consists of assigning a test when a teacher is not in the classroom.
There are circumstances where a teacher has to take an unexpected absence, but this changes the entire schedule for the class to move a test which is frustrating.
A teacher does not have to be available for assessments such as reading checks. This is different from a cumulative chapter test.
There is never a test where a student may not have any questions before taking a test. False perception that this happens rarely-- strawpoll demonstrates that this issue happens to many students.
Instead of trying to fix problem by legislating first, may be more helpful for a student or group of students to speak to a teacher. If there is no change reflected after conversation, students may speak to department heads.
Unclear if it is a different situation is a teacher is not present for an extended period of time.
Motion Fails
Abstentions:
Many people have expressed that students should go to teacher before coming to Council, but appears to be widespread issue across all classes and not concentrated within specific teacher’s classes or department.
4. Exam Discussion
Felt exam week was useless. Took tests that could’ve been taken during a normal class period that did not need two hours. Understand idea of having a meaningful test to study for during college, but feel that it can be done during normal school week. Difficult for students who have trouble focusing to take test, which does not seem to evaluate knowledge but rather focusing abilities.
While some tests have not been a strong representation of work in class, most exams were well written and fully covered information that was covered in class. Allowed for reflection in course. Reviewing all information allowed for deeper understanding of concepts and ideas in course.
No “learning” experience that comes out of exams for most classes because of rollover to second semester. For productive exam week, should review exams taken, Disagree that tests should be taken during normal school week because it is difficult to take 7 exams in a row if a student has 7 classes in a row.
Current schedule for exam week is a healthy way to take exams. There is no homework during exam week, which allows for students to just focus on studying for exams.
Important to learn how to focus for long period of time. Normal school day does not allow for that, and exam week is a unique opportunity.
Perhaps would be helpful to have even a day after exams to review exams.
A teacher this year had quarter tests during normal school hours with review after tests. Midterm was a project where students applied all developed skills and project was reviewed. Thorough was reached through this process.
More difficult to review exams with teachers that a student does not have second semester.
5. Meeting Adjourns
Public Forum Meeting on Cell Phone Motion Veto: 01.26.18.
Cell Phone Motion veto explanation
Need to allow staff to preemptively confiscate phones in certain situations: students who have misused phones in the past, phones in bags that remain a distraction, particularly settings where ringing is problematic. Need to be allowed to confiscate phones for exam security: have had situations where students have used devices to take pictures or otherwise have broke exam security. In favor of overall spirit of motion.
The body decided (as a result of a straw-poll) that we would not vote to overturn the Principal’s veto.
I move to amend the motion to replace the word “confiscate” with the word “take” after “Staff has no authority to preemptively to.”
Incorrect use of “confiscate” in wording. Should use word “take” instead.
Motion Passes
I move to amend the motion to add after “separate from the person” “, unless the student has previously disrupted the class or during tests.”
Specific examples allow for exceptions so that teacher is allowed to preemptively confiscate devices.
I move to amend the motion to replace “cell phones” with “electronic devices” and add “and exams” after the word “tests.”
Will clarify wording.
Motion Passes
Word “limited” can be used to soften wording.
Some teachers allow for cell phone use during tests: example, periodic table from cell phone use allowed during Chemistry tests.
Wording clarifies that cell phone use during test is at the teacher’s discretion.
Rather than using specific examples, wording should allow for greater teacher discretion. Ultimate goal is teachers helping students to be more responsible with cell phone use.
Idea is to soften language, rather than mincing and rewording ideas.
Softening language doesn’t mean that specific examples should be added in, wording that would be useful
Would prefer more broad examples such as compromising integrity of classroom than specific examples in amendment.
Motion Fails
I move to amend the motion to replace the world “no” with “limited” after “Staff has…”
Allows for softening of language.
Want to soften language, but don’t want to be vague with just simply changing “no” to “limited.”
I move to refer this motion to the Administration committee.
Not good use of time to go through process of editing wording. Want Admin to look at true intent of motion as well as wording.
Motion Passes
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