Contract grading part 4: What is the incentive for students to engage?

In my 9th grade AP Physics 1 contract grading, everyone gets an A-minus on every term report.  

The obvious question I'm asked is: If you don't assign grades based on student work, what incentive do students have to keep up, to do their assignments?  

The incentive starts with the opt-in nature of this advanced course.  It's clear that any student, at any time, could simply ask to move into the general course.  And it's clear that I would respond with a gentle "of course, I appreciate you giving AP physics a shot, I hope to see you in the AP class again in a few years!"  No shame, no pressure. 

Thus, when the work gets challenging or long or frustrating, I don't get complaints.  I mean, I have enough experience with my school's schedule and audience that I'm pretty sure I'm never making unreasonable demands in terms of out-of-class work - I do have to be careful that I'm not overplaying my hand, that I'm not dominating my students' lives at the expense of other classes or non-academic pursuits.  Yet every physics teacher has dealt with students who are angry because, for the first time in their lives, they're having a tough time understanding something academic.  This class knows they can leave the course at any time.  They also know they have the grace of an A- waiting for them regardless of performance.  So they tend to persevere, even in the face of adversity.

A poor assignment requires a redo in extra-help time.  I do put a score on each problem set; I keep track of progress on each in-class lab assignment.  In one sense, scores don't matter since everyone's grade is an A-.  What does matter is that students know I'm watching out for them.  That students have an authentic audience for their work, someone who's paying attention.  That students care enough not merely to complete practice problems and labs, but to complete them well.

I've dedicated one whiteboard to a list of students who need to redo assignments or finish labs.  I spend an enormous amount of time in the first few weeks making sure that students come in for extra help.  Again, there's no shame intended when they come in, just an opportunity to redo the problem the right way, to ask questions where they're still confused.  Generally, students are grateful for the help, happy that they figured out something that flummoxed them the first time.

The incentive, then, is to do each assignment well enough that they don't see their name on the board.  I get higher quality and more consistently completed problem sets now than I ever did when I assigned grades!  Time is more valuable as currency than grades.

Communication and conversation are critical early on.  Three weeks in, I schedule a brief (5-7 minute) meeting with every student.  I ask, how are you feeling about the course?  Do you want to remain in it?  If so, why?  (If "no", then no worries, let's put you in general physics.)  Are you getting your work done in other classes?  Is there anything you want to bring up with me?  

The point is, the contract is not an impersonal legalistic document like the Apple terms and conditions.  No, signing the contract represents a covenant.  I am dedicating myself to helping each student succeed in this college-level class; each student is promising to do the practice I ask, so that they put themselves in position for success.  

At the conclusion of each conversation, I usually provide a hard copy of the contract for the student to sign, after which I send a scan to the student's advisor.  If the student expresses minor misgivings, I ask them to give things another week to decide, and I schedule another meeting and a discussion with the advisor.

I can't shy away from difficult conversations.  Every year, a few students are overmatched by AP physics, but they valiantly keep going.  At first I just schedule extra-help to redo each problem set.  But once it's clear that their work in physics is impacting their overall academic performance - or once it's clear that they are simply not able or not willing to handle the pace or depth of this course - I need to pull the plug.  Self-perceived good students won't leave the class on their own, because they would think of themselves as "quitters."  I explain kindly that AP physics isn't telling them "no," just "not yet."  Usually, I see relief on such a student's face.  I must be willing to do what's best for each student.  And what's best is sometimes to let them gain experience in a simpler, slower-paced class.

What's best for each individual student is usually what's best for the overall team, too.  On one hand, I can't be dumping students all willy-nilly in the first weeks - that would spread despondence.  I need to stick with anyone who possibly has potential to pass the AP exam, even if their work is poor now.  Yet, a student who is leaving questions blank, a student who can't draw a free body diagram after two weeks of practice, or especially a student who passive-aggressively doesn't turn in work at all - these folks need to go.  

The rest of the class often feel embarrassed or uncomfortable around a student who clearly doesn't belong in the advanced class.  If I'm going to insist on a team atmosphere, I need to be sure that everyone on the team is capable of contributing.  

When I counsel a student into the general course, I try to be as explicit as possible about their performance.  I'll show them - and their advisor - one of their problem sets in comparison to a well-done problem set by another student.  I'll rattle off a list of unfinished assignments, and show the contract stipulation that all work must be completed.  I'll show test scores: not just 1 or 2 on an AP scale, but a raw score under 35%.  Even advisors (or parents) who occasionally start out a bit hostile can't easily argue with the evidence I present.

And, from a Machiavellian perspective, it is certainly true that I get better work from everyone else once they see that I ain't kidding about the terms of the contract.  No one is expected to be perfect, but everyone is expected to do all the work in a serious effort to get better every day.  The effort gets a bit seriouser once they see someone else was asked to leave - even if my decision to ask that person to leave was obvious to everyone.

The goal is NOT merely student compliance, though that is a first step.  My goal is that by November, I have as large a class as possible who - for most students, most days - think of physics as an enjoyable part of their academic experience.  A class who look forward to working with one another as teammates, who support each other as they learn a difficult subject.  

At the beginning, I'm working to establish norms: we do the practice problems even if we don't do them perfectly, we are kind and helpful to our classmates, we come in for extra help when asked.  Once these habits are second nature, once it sinks in that work isn't done for a shot-term grade but for long-term improvement, both the students and I look forward to our class time together.  The atmosphere becomes fun and relaxed.  The angst of being continually judged by a teacher and by peers vanishes, and is replaced by curiosity and excitement.