So last week several teachers and I were lambasted for having elevated failure rates (mine was supposedly 38%).  The failure rate includes students who have never, ever been to school but are still on our roll, and students who spend most of their time in In School Suspension.  Nevertheless, we are supposed to find a way to let them get credit for the class.  That they never go to.  Ever.

Naturally, it is up to the teachers to concoct "Failure Intervention Plans" so that we can prove we begged cajoled offered to be human sacrifices helped the self-entitled spawn of satan students pass.  Here's mine that I'm turning in today, it's a beaut:

 Failure Intervention Plan
(my name) – French 1, Spanish 1
Failure % 5th six weeks: 38

Apparent cause of current failure rate:
Excessive absences and tardies, refusal of students to complete assignments.

Interventions I have implemented:
 Successful: students may turn in late assignments until end of six weeks.  Assignments that are not turned in receive a grade of 50 instead of 0.  I stay after school for tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays and accommodate students who are not able to attend by making individual appointments. Additionally, at the 3 week mark I call each student to my desk to discuss their progress report and explain their options to improve their grades.
Unsuccessful: getting responses to behavior referrals to keep the class environment focused on learning instead of behavior issues, contacting parents regarding absences.

Documentation of potential failure:  Students have 24/7 access to their current grade in my class and can view which assignments they are missing by checking the class website.

Strategies to differentiate learning:  Lessons are introduced in lecture format with written bullet-points and interactive visual aids (via PowerPoint) followed immediately by guided practice, then individual and group practice.  Instruction models vary between group work and individual assessments.  Students have 2 days warning before formal assessment; I implement random informal assessment to ensure constant preparation.  Projects have a grade weight of 20% as per district guidelines.  Students who request extra credit opportunities receive them in the form of translations of songs or articles in pop culture to facilitate reconciliation of classroom practices and real world applications.  These classes are digitally relevant in the sense that there is an interactive class website which gives students access to class work, class notes, home work, due date calendars, grades, practice activities and online textbooks.  Credit for work outside of class is granted according to district guidelines.