After my webinar last night (on Sophia.org, awesome resource by the way), I have decided to change my late work policy. I am going to accept work up until the end of the six weeks…no matter how late and in any form. I have to have some kind of deadline, because I have to put in grades, but it will be the Friday before grades are due instead of one week after the original due date.
Todd Nesloney (@techninjatodd) made a very good point about this and I completely agree though I had not thought of it in this way before. When you don’t accept work late, you are giving them an out to not do it. So they don’t LEARN what you need them to learn…which is the whole point in giving the assignment in the first place!
I do have another dilemma though and that is the zero I have to put in when it is not done. And maybe y’all can help me out here. I think a grade should reflect mastery, not organization or work ethic.But what about those kids that do no work, but do well on the assessment? The zeros from the lack of work kill their grade, but they have shown mastery on the assessment…so shouldn’t their grade reflect that mastery? Thoughts?
O's Bureau of Scientific Investigations 