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What is your opinion or policy when it comes to late work?  My district requires teachers to deduct 10% off of the total score for each day the assignment is late up to ten days.  However, I feel like this results in scores that do not accurately reflect student knowledge.  For example, if a student scored a 9/10 on the homework, but submitted it three days late their grade in the grade book is a 6/10.  While I want to hold my students accountable for turning work in on time I also want to show they are progressing in their knowledge.  

This is a tough situation when the district has blanket policies that are negatively affecting students. We want more differentiation in instruction, but these types of blanket policies are disruptive to that line of thinking. I love this post from Cult of Pedagogy- a discussion about different aspects of late work policies- https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/late-work/.

Personally, I allow students to turn in make up work and late work any time up to my final deadline about a week before the semester ends. I too, was originally panicked that this would cause more work for me and that students would develop bad habits. Guess what!? The students that always turned their work in on time, continue to do so. The students that never turned their work in on time continue to do so! The difference is I can work with them on an individual basis to determine why they are having the issues that they are having, but the responsiblity goes back on their shoulders to make sure they get their work in and talk to me. It's no longer my problem to assess each student's lateness and keep track in the gradebook- which is exhausting as a teacher and takes time away from more important matters- like teaching! The students that are able to overcome those issues, turn in their work and get a grade that reflects their mastery of the content, not a grade that reflects the issues that originally caused the late work. It has been a win-win.

My personal opinion on this, when it comes to elementary grades, is that makeup work or late work should be acceptable. If it is a recurring thing it should be addressed and perhaps explain that there may be point deductions if it keeps happening, but if a student is always turning in their work on time and it happens to be that they forgot about an assignment for the first time, I dont think it should be punishable.