For many students, a typical day may consist of school, work and extracurriculars. With these packed schedules, deadlines and academic stress have been increasingly common, especially since returning from an era of online school. As students and teachers struggle to balance workloads, policies surrounding missing or late work have been adjusted.
For English teacher Rob Thurtle, this means allowing students to turn in late work without penalty until the end of each unit.
“There was a time earlier in my career where I did take off points [for late work] as an incentive [for students] to [stay] on top of the work and stay current,” Thurtle said. “While I still think that’s important, I’m not sure if the [small] point deduction is a deterrent … Especially after and during the pandemic, [I’ve] started seeing a lot more extenuating circumstances. It’s ideal … but maybe it’s not entirely crucial that every single assignment [be] on time.”
This late work policy is especially helpful for students struggling with time management and balancing commitments.
“I enjoy it because it gives a little more time with high school stress and sports and everything … to turn in your work and still get [full] credit for it,” said sophomore Isabella Mendoza.
This flexibility is beneficial to both students and teachers in ensuring students don’t disengage and fall behind in school work.
“I’d rather have students continue to work and do those assignments rather than get so buried that they don’t want to work at all,” Thurtle said.
For students with alternative learning needs addressed by Individualized Education Programs, extended deadlines and teacher flexibility can be essential to getting schoolwork done.
“Knowing if I need more time [to turn work in or] if I can meet [the deadline] like the average student could … helps me be more aware of what I can do as a student,” senior Ayana Durant.
Although a helpful policy for students with competing demands for their time, accepting late work can allow students to neglect the responsibility of completing work on schedule.
“Right before the six week marking period, my history teacher did not update grades,” Mendoza said. “I ended up having a C on my six week marking period but that was my fault for not turning [work] in [on time].”
Sometimes, students fall behind when they rely too much on lenient late work policies.
“At least for math, I feel like people realize [that] if you keep putting [classwork] off, then you’re going to be completely lost,” said math teacher Alice Hu. “Everything, at least within a chapter, builds on previous concepts.”
Given that policies vary, some teachers give late work half credit while others give no credit at all.
For chemistry teacher Cindy Henderson, an inspiration behind giving half credit for late work was Joe Feldman’s book “Grading for Equity,” which discussed ideal grading practices to best support a student’s learning journey.
“I agree with the tenant that there’s a lot of space between zero and 50%,” Henderson said. “So saying my F is 50% on an exam gives students more of a chance to keep their grade out of the cellar.”
Although not a popular policy among most students, some see the argument for giving no credit for missing work.
“While I thought the argument against the zero was really compelling, I also know that there’s a place for a zero and a zero speaks to parents,” Thurtle said. “It speaks to counselors, it speaks to support teachers, it speaks to so many people that are helping a student.”
Teachers and students are still exploring how to best maintain motivation and manage stress.
“Students are figuring this out with us that deadlines are important,” Henderson said. “But I also think that it’s important that we recognize that we’re all human beings and that there’s more going on in their lives than just my class.”
This mindset of compassion is often crucial in supporting students academically.
“Teachers here [at] Aragon are really attentive when it comes to the students’ needs,” Durant said. “[They are] trying to make sure that the students have the resources that they need to what they need to at school.”
Although a complicated decision to make, teachers and students are trying to find the best balance to both succeed academically and learn or teach to the best of their abilities. Policies on zeros and missing work can often make or break this experience.
