Hi Roger: It's unfortunate that classes have to resort to contracts, but in my program, all students sign a page that states they've read, understand, and had an opportunity to have their questions answered. A key principle here is expectation. I believe most students generally want to meet expectations, at least until they find a barrier (or let something become a barrier) that slows them down. Setting high expectations gives everyone at least a good chance of meeting the minimum. So, if we really want 85-90% by most of the class, we can set the expectation at 95-100%, with some meeting that, some falling just below, and some just barely meeting it, But we'll see fewer students falling below the average. Regards, Barry