I applied this approach unthinkingly, and I did so for many years. The policy was clear-cut and seemingly fair. I had no idea how detrimental the policy was to my most vulnerable learners.
Punitive late work policies have little impact on high performing students. Those students, likely motivated by a fear of low grades and/ or a desire to please their teacher, rarely miss deadlines. Indeed, their lateness occurs so infrequently that it is often excused as an aberration. Struggling students, however, turn work in late for any number of myriad reasons. Lower performing students learn from an early age that their efforts and contributions are valued less than other high performing students. And students who grow up seeing that their work is worth less are at risk of eventually believing that their work is worthless. My current late-work policy is simple: students can earn up to a proficient grade (B range) for any work submitted late. This policy is anchored in the premise that it’s my responsibility to cultivate learners, and that the purpose of assessments is to give feedback that helps students achieve a proficient standard of learning. Proficient B’s are the mid-range grade for students aspiring to college: a B is less than an exemplary A, but it’s more valuable than the less sufficient C. This approach trains students for college and beyond by reinforcing the fact that submitting work late isn’t exemplary, and that such habits do have consequences. But it also communicates to students that their work is worthwhile, and that they are worthy of whatever support I can provide to help them achieve a proficient level of learning.
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Those of us who have been teaching for many years know that even with late penalties, we still consistently receive late work from a subset of our students each term. If our goal is to build student capacity in this area, a consequence or a punishment is not necessarily what will help them as they work to build new habits. Is there a way to address late work that could be more effective at building the underlying skills to prevent lateness in the future?
In my classes, there's a process. Students must communicate at least 24 hours in advance of the deadline to request a 24 hour extension. I tell them at the beginning of the course that they may have one extension “free of charge” - they don't need to create the perfect excuse, but may just let me know that they need a little more time. If however, they require a second extension or time beyond 24 hours, they must sit down with me for a face to face conversation and we’ll create a plan for overcoming whatever obstacle they’ve encountered. It might include an assigned study hall, or a meeting with the writing studio, or maybe just helping them look at their schedule for the next few days and create a little more balance. It’s an opportunity to open a dialogue, and learn more about that student and what they’re juggling in their lives. Whatever the reason for the extension, it's clear to me that a second request indicates a student who could use some targeted support in navigating deadlines. What this approach does is twofold. Knowing that one extension will be granted without any need for evidence or conversation gives students permission to be human. In a world where we expect perfection from young people in so many areas of their life, the simple grace of allowing an assignment a little bit more time to come in lets students be people. The subsequent conversation, if necessary, lets us surface the reason for the late work. Does the student need help with the assignment? Structure in their work time? Guidance in navigating multiple priorities? A more personalized approach to late work centers the student and their process, and creates even more opportunities for growth.
One of the primary elements of a successful high school student is a growing sense of responsibility. However, even if a school’s mission supports this endeavor, involving high school students in disciplinary committee decisions is not the most effective or fair approach to gaining additional experience and responsibility. In addition to developing their understanding of multifaceted issues and social dynamics, high schoolers are learning where they stand in every ethical dilemma they face. Coupled with the scientific fact that their brains are still building some of the key ingredients to make complex decisions, they are constantly confronted with situations where they are pulled in many directions and feel conflicted when they make one decision or another. Disciplinary decisions often involve complex situations that demand an experienced and mature perspective. Professionals and educators are much more equipped to maneuver through these intricacies so that a fair outcome is achieved. Most teens are innately connected to their peer groups and involving them in decisions that impact their friends or peers may lead to partiality or perception of bias, therefore altering the integrity of the disciplinary process and even the overall learning environment. High schoolers are often challenged by remaining impartial which is heightened by the additional factors of social media and other pressures. Asking a teenager to make a decision about someone their age that might alter their social or academic life forever might place an undue burden on them as well. There are so many academic and personal challenges that teens already have to face so why add the weight of making an additional decision that could affect their well-being? An alternative for DC participation is having students create an advisory board for how DC decisions are made or how to enhance the disciplinary experience so it is the fairest, most effective, and most just for each student who faces it. Responsibility and accountability are essential in a student’s high school education, however, involving them in DC decisions is not beneficial for them or any school's disciplinary process. Works Cited
Petrie, Sandra, et al. “The importance of peer group (“crowd”) affiliation in adolescence.” Wiley Online Library, vol. 9, no. 1, 1986, pp. 73-96, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1016/S0140-1971(86)80029-X. Accessed 12 November 2023. “Teen Brain: Behavior, Problem Solving, and Decision Making.” AACAP, https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/The-Teen-Brain-Behavior-Problem-Solving-and-Decision-Making-095.aspx. Accessed 12 November 2023. Empowering Student Voices: Brimmer and May’s Judicial Board Values Inclusivity and Democracy12/8/2023
My candidacy for the Board fell short, but I was honored to contribute to a democratic process. Including student representation in your school’s disciplinary and restorative justice practices can greatly enhance the fairness and effectiveness of these systems.
Furthermore, high-stakes testing doesn’t disappear after high school. Many college courses still rely on cumulative exams, and many professions give cumulative exams as a requirement of licensure.
So why not give such exams? For me, it’s about what I’m trying to assess. If a student has mastered course skills and content but struggles with organization, time management, or focus, is she going to be able to show me what she really understands? Or will her performance on my exam be hindered by her challenges in these areas? And if so, am I really seeing what she has learned in my class? I am not–unless my class has spent as much time teaching organization, time management, and focus strategies as it has on teaching course content, and that’s the subject of a whole other blog post! To really get at student learning I can give a non-cumulative exam, one that focuses solely on synthesis and application, providing cumulative frameworks and outlines during the test itself. I can assign a project, paper, or performance that requires the use of the content and skills students have been learning and allows checkpoints where I can help students learn and practice effective executive functioning skills along the way. I can ask each student to write an exam, using all the resources at her disposal, and learn more about what she understands about my course material than her performance on an exam I’ve written would tell me, particularly if I ask her to explain her decisions orally or in writing after she’s created it. Cumulative exams aren’t all bad. I just believe we can do better. |
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May 2024
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