Sample Policies and Practices Used by Challenge Success Schools

The list below offers examples of the types of changes our schools have implemented in response to our program. It is not intended to be prescriptive; instead, we encourage each school to examine unique needs and circumstances and then design a site-specific vision for change.

Curriculum
	•	Modify curriculum and school assignments to make them more relevant to students’ lives.
	•	Create test and project calendars to reduce overlapping major assignments.
	•	Revise homework policies to ensure purpose and volume of homework is appropriate.
	•	Revise late work and “zero” policies.
	•	Eliminate summer and/or weekend and vacation assignments.
	•	Use alternative assessments, and consider eliminating mid-terms and/or final exams.
	•	Develop “plagiarism-proof” assignments that allow for more student choice and personalization.
	•	Build in time during class for students to work on projects and assignments.
School Schedule
	•	Revise school schedules (including late start, modified block, full block, or trimester schedules).
	•	Move finals and/or cumulative projects to before winter break.
	•	Create tutorials or free periods to give students more time to interact with faculty and more time for academic support.
Grades and College Admission
	•	Modify the grading system (narrative assessments, unweighted GPA’s, elimination of student rankings).
	•	Open access to honors and AP courses, and help students choose a manageable schedule.
	•	Require parents and students to attend mandatory information sessions if students plan to enroll in AP/honors courses.
	•	Improve college counseling practices with emphasis on finding the “right fit” and limiting the number of recommendations that faculty will write.
Academic Integrity
	•	Create Honor Codes, “Declarations of Integrity,” and revised cheating policies.
	•	Have students lead judicial councils that handle academic integrity infractions.
School Culture
	•	Define success more broadly than just high academic achievement and college acceptance; support this message by revising awards assemblies, valedictorian choices, and by not publishing college acceptance lists.
	•	Implement an advisory system to focus on social and emotional learning and to help students find faculty advocates.
	•	Encourage more positive student/teacher relationships so teachers can be more approachable and accessible.
	•	Develop time management, stress reduction, and relaxation techniques.
Parent Education
	•	Develop parent education programs to address the pressures well-meaning families place on their children.
	•	Share recent research on adolescent well-being with parents via school newsletters.