do missing assignments affect your grade

• Teaching Tips

Dealing With Students Missing Exams and In-Class Graded Assignments

Teachers often become more aware of students’ out-of-class activities than they might wish. Announcements and memos from the dean of students inform about sporting teams and their games and tournaments, forensics, service learning conferences, community-based work, and the like. And teachers quickly become familiar with student lifestyles and illnesses ¾ mono, strep throat, hangovers, the opening of deer and fishing seasons, quilting bees, family vacations, and their family mortality statistics. The relationship between exams and mandatory in-class work and the death of students’ cousins and grandparents is so high it should be a concern of the National Center for Disease Control. Given all this, it is a certainty that students will miss exams and other required activities. What is a teacher to do?

If you want to hear colleagues express frustration, ask them about make-up exams and assignments. Despite knowing intellectually that such absences will occur, teachers hope and pray, even in public institutions, that all of their students will take exams as scheduled. Alas, such prayers are rarely answered, and teachers are faced with the practical issues of keeping track of students who miss exams and assignments, as well as managing make-ups.

All of our advice, except that related to ethics, should be read through the filter of the type of institution where you teach, and the types of courses you teach and how large they are. For example, at a small liberal arts school, where teaching is a faculty member’s primary responsibility, more time may be spent with students who miss exams or assignments, and more creative (time consuming) alternatives may be practical as compared with someone teaching classes of 300 or 500 or more in a Research I institution.

Ethics Teachers are not to cause students harm; we must treat them fairly and equitably, and they must be allowed to maintain their dignity (Keith-Spiegel, Whitley, Balogh, Perkins, & Wittig, 2002). Whatever your procedures are for students who miss exams and required in-class work, they must be equitable, providing students equal chances to earn a good grade by demonstrating equal knowledge. The hard part may be balancing academic rigor and accountability for what students are to learn with a fair and manageable process for those who miss required exams and assignments.

Make-up Exams These should not be more difficult than the original test but must be, as best as you can design, alternate forms of the same exam. Exam banks that accompany texts make designing such alternate forms of multiple-choice tests relatively easy, and colleagues teaching two or more sections of the same course in a semester, who give alternate forms of exams, are often a good source of advice on this matter. Be thoughtful about the following:

• An essay make-up exam may be unethical if regular exams are multiple choice or short answer (or vice versa), since students must study differently and they may be more difficult.
• An oral exam may “punish” students who do not think well on their feet, or are more socially anxious.
• Scheduling make-up exams at inconvenient or undesirable times may express your frustration, but you or someone else will have to be there at the “inconvenient” time also, and such arrangements raise issues of foul play.
• It may be inequitable to students who meet all course requirements to allow their peers to do extra credit or drop their lowest grade instead of making up a missed exam.

In-class Assignments The same considerations exist for students who miss in-class required presentations, or other graded work. If possible, students who were to present should be given opportunities to make up the assignment using the same grading criteria.

Planning Ahead

Spell-out Missed Exam Procedure in Course Policies No matter how well you teach or what inducements or penalties you impose, some students will miss exams and required class activities. Good educational practice argues that you plan for this reality as you design your course, not two days before (or after) your first exam. You want as few surprises as possible once the course begins.

Put your policies in your syllabus. Have a section in your syllabus on exams and other graded work. Specify your policies and procedures if students know in advance they will be absent, or how to notify you if, for whatever reason, they were absent, and any effect, if any, absences will have on their grade.

Keep your policy clear and simple. Before finalizing your syllabus, ask a few students to read your make-up policy to determine if it can be easily understood. If your explanation of what students are to do in the case of missing an exam, and how their grade is affected, is not easily understood, revise it. In developing your policy, do you want students to:

• Notify you if they know they will miss, preferably at least 24 hours in advance, and give you the reason? Talking with you before or after class offers the best opportunity to provide feedback if the reason is questionable, to work out alternatives, and so forth. E-mail also can be useful.
• Notify you as soon as possible after missing an exam or required assignment and give the reason? Again, in person or e-mail work best.
• Present a letter from an authority (e.g., physician) documenting the reason? Keep in mind any student can “forge” such documentation or manipulate it in other ways, e.g., “Fred came to see me complaining of a severe headache.”
• Have their grades lowered if their absence is not “acceptable” (e.g., overslept versus seriously ill)? How will you decide what is acceptable? Our experience suggests that “legitimate” reasons for absence include, but are not limited to: illness of the student or a close relative, accident, court appearance, military duty, broken auto, hazardous weather, and university activities (e.g., athletics, forensics).

Policies should reflect the nature of the exam or graded assignment. If you are teaching an introductory course and each module largely stands alone, it may be appropriate for students to make up a missed exam late in the semester. But if you want students to demonstrate knowledge or competency on an exam or assignment because future course material builds on that which comes earlier, you want to give the students much less time to make up the missed work.

Common policies. A common procedure is for the teacher, teaching assistant, or departmental secretary to distribute and proctor make-up exams during prearranged times (Perlman&McCann, in press). You might also consider allowing students to take make-up exams during exam periods in other courses you are teaching.

Make your policies easy to implement. To maintain your sanity and keep your stress level manageable, you must be able to easily implement your policies. For example, even if you, a secretary, or a graduate student distribute and proctor make-up exams, problems can arise. For example:

• The secretary is ill or on vacation, or you are ill or have a conference to attend. You never want to change the time make-ups are available to students once these are listed in the course syllabus. Have backups available who know where make-up exams are stored, can access them, and can administer and proctor them.
• Too many students for the make-up space. Investigate room sizes and number of rooms available. You may need more than one room if some students have readers because of learning disabilities.
• Students often forget there is a common make-up the last week of the semester. Remind them often and announce this policy on class days when students are taking an exam, as this may be the only time some students who have missed a previous exam come to class.

Encourage appropriate, responsible, mature behaviors. Take the high road and let students know how they “should” behave. For example, one colleague includes this statement in the syllabus:

I expect students to make every effort to take required exams and make course presentations as scheduled. If you know in advance you will miss such a requirement, please notify me. If you are ill or other circumstances cause you to miss a required graded activity, notify me as soon as possible.

One of our colleagues states in her syllabus for a psychology of aging class, “It is very bad form to invent illnesses suffered by grandparents!” By giving students exemplars on how to behave appropriately, you can then thank them for their courtesy and maturity if they follow through, positively reinforcing such behaviors.

God lives in the details. Always err on the side of being “concrete.” If a make-up exam is at the university testing center, tell students where the testing center is. If you or a secretary hold make-up exams in an office, you may want to draw a map on how to get there. It is not uncommon for students to fail to find the office at the time of the exam, and wander around a large university building.

Students Who Miss Exams You have a variety of alternatives available on how to treat students who miss a scheduled exam. Select those that fit your course and the requirements of learning students must demonstrate.

Requiring make-up exams. If you collect all copies of your multiple choice or short answer exams, you may be able to use the same exam for make-ups. Our experience is that it is extremely rare that students deliberately miss an exam to have more time to study, whereas asking peers about specific exam questions more commonly occurs. Your experiences may be different. However, if you put exams on file at the university testing center, and students can take them weeks apart, you may want different forms. If you have concerns, you will need to prepare an equivalent, alternative form of the regular exam, as is often the case for essay tests.

Using procedures other than a make-up exam. Some faculty have students outline all text chapters required for an exam, use daily quiz scores to substitute for a missed exam, use the average of students’ exams to substitute for the one missed, score relevant questions on the comprehensive final to substitute for the missed test, or use a weighted score from the entire comprehensive final substituted for missed exam. Some teachers just drop one test grade without penalty (Buchanan&Rogers, 1990; Sleigh&Ritzer, 2001). Consider whether students will learn what you want from various alternatives and whether this work is equal to what students must demonstrate on exams before adopting such procedures. If your course contains numerous graded assignments of equal difficulty, and if it is equitable for students to choose to ignore a course module by not studying or taking the exam, you should consider this process.

Other teachers build extra credit into the course. They allow all students opportunities to raise their grades, offering a safety net of sorts for those who need to “make-up” a missed exam by doing “additional” assignments such as outlining unassigned chapters in the text.

Scheduling make-ups. Pick one or two times a week that are convenient for you, a department secretary, or teaching assistant, and schedule your make-ups then. Some faculty use a common time midway through the semester and at the end of the semester as an alternative.

Students Who Miss Other In-Class Assignments Allowing students to demonstrate learning on non-exam graded assignments can be tricky. Such assignments often measure different kinds of learning than exams: the ability to work in groups, critical thinking as demonstrated in a poster, or an oral presentation graded in part on professional use of language. But you do have some alternatives.

Keeping the required assignment the same. If the assignment is a large one and due near the end of the semester, consider using an “incomplete” grade for students who miss it. Alternatively, students can present their oral work or poster in another course you are teaching if the content is relevant and time allows it. The oral required assignment also can be delivered just to the teacher or videotaped or turned in on audiotape.

Alternative assignments. As with missed exams, you can weigh other assignments disproportionately to substitute for in-class graded work — by doubling a similar assignment if you have more than one during the semester, for example. The dilemma, of course, is not allowing students easy avenues to avoid a required module or assignment without penalty. For example, oral assignments can be turned in as written work, although this may negate some of the reasons for the assignment.

When we asked colleagues about alternatives for missed in-class graded assignments (as compared with exams), almost everyone cautioned against listing them in the course syllabus. They felt that students could then weigh the make-up assignment versus the original and choose the one that gave them the greatest chance of doing well, and also the least amount of anxiety (in-class presentations often make students nervous). They recommended simply telling students that arrangements would be made for those missing in-class required graded work on a case-by-case basis.

Students Who Miss the “Make-Up” On occasion, students will miss a scheduled make-up. Say something about this event in your syllabus, emphasizing the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor. We recommend that instructors reserve the right to lower a student’s grade by “x” number of points, or “x” letter grades. If you place exams at a university testing center, you may not find out the work has not been made up until the course is over, leaving you little choice but to give the student an “F” on that exam or assignment.

When the Whole Class Misses a Required Exam or Assignment On rare, but very memorable, occasions the entire class may miss an exam or assignment. For example, both authors have had the fire alarm go off during an exam. After a bomb threat cleared the building during his exam, the campus police actually contacted one author to identify whether a person caught on camera at a service station was a student calling in the bomb scare. (It was not.) The other author experienced the bomb squad closing a classroom building during finals week due to the discovery of old, potentially explosive, laboratory chemicals. Of course, the blizzard of the century or a flood might occur the night before your exam. What is a teacher to do?

The exam or graded assignment must be delayed. Prepare beforehand. Always build a make-up policy into your syllabus for the last exam or student presentation in a course. Talk with your department chair or dean about college or university policy. State that if weather or other circumstances force a make-up, it will occur at a certain time and place. This forethought is especially important if you teach at a northern institution where bad winter weather is not unusual. For exams and assignments during the semester, the policy that works best is to reschedule them (again, stating this in your syllabus) for the next regular class period. Call attention to this policy early in the semester, and post it on your course Web site. The last thing you want to do is call or e-mail everyone in the class to tell them an exam has been cancelled.

An exam or graded assignment is interrupted. Graded assignments such as oral presentations are easily handled. If time allows, continue after the interruption; if not, continue the next class period or during your designated “make-up” time.

If something interrupts an exam, ask students to leave their exams and answers on their desks or hand them in to you, take all personal materials, and leave immediately. A teacher can easily collect everything left in most classes in a few moments. Leave materials on desks if the class is large, or be the first person back to the room after the interruption. Fire alarms, bomb scares, and the like usually cause a lot of hubbub. Only if you have a lengthy two- or three-hour class, with time to allow students to collect themselves and refocus, and no concern about their comparing answers to questions during the delay, should the exam be continued that same day or evening.

If the interruption occurs late in the class period, you might tell students to turn in their work as they leave. You can then determine how you want to grade exams or the assignment, using pro-rated points or percentages, and assign grades accordingly.

If the interruption is earlier in the hour, the exam will have to be delayed, usually until the next class period. With a multiple-choice exam, we advise giving students the full (next) class period to finish their exams. If you are concerned about students comparing questions they have already answered, you will have to quickly develop an alternate exam.

A teacher’s decisions are more complicated if the exam is short answer or essay. Students may have skimmed all essay or short answer questions before an interruption. Will they prepare for those questions before the next class period? What if some students only read the first essay question but do not know the others they must answer? Preparing an alternate exam may be feasible, but students need to know you will do so, so they do not concentrate their studying on specific topics you will not ask about.

We know that such class interruptions are rare, but they can wreak havoc with students and teachers, be stressful, and raise issues of fairness that echo throughout the rest of the course. We advise teachers to talk with colleagues, and we have found a department brown bag on the topic fascinating. Your colleagues may have some creative and sound advice.

Summary A teacher needs to plan ahead. Take some time to think about what it means for you and students who miss required in-class work. A little preparation can save a lot of time and hassle later in the semester. Students deserve and will appreciate policies that are equitable and manageable.

Author’s Note: The authors are interested how teachers deal with missed or interrupted graded in-class work (and their horror stories). Contact us with your ideas and experiences at [email protected] .

References and Recommended Reading

• Buchanan, R. W., & Rogers, M. (1990). Innovative assessment in large classes. College Teaching, 38 , 69-74.
• Carper, S. W. (1995). Make-up exams: What’s a professor to do? Journal of Chemical Education, 72 , 883.
• Davis, B. G. (1993). Tools for teaching . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Keith-Spiegel, P., Whitley, B.G. E. Jr., Balogh, D. W., Perkins, D. V., & Wittig, A. F. (2002). The ethics of teaching: A casebook (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• McKeachie, W. J. (2001). Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (11th ed.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
• Nilson, L. B. (2003). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (2nd ed). Bolton, MA: Anker.
• Perlman, B., & McCann, L. I. (in press). Teacher evaluations of make-up exam procedures. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 3 (2).
• Sleigh, M. J., & Ritzer, D. R. (2001). Encouraging student attendance. APS Observer, 14 (9), pp. 19-20, 32.

Do you know of any research related to taking points off an exam for students who take a make-up for whatever reason? It is mentioned in this article but I’m interested in evidence to back up that it is fair and/or punitive in a college setting with adult learners. Thank you. Gerri Russell, MS, RN

I teach introductory nutrition and other biology classes. If a student can prove that they missed an exam or assignment for a verifiable reason, even if they let me know ahead of time (usually technology related reasons), I let them make it up without taking points off. If they can’t prove it I take off points as follows: 10% off per day late during the first week after the assignment is due. Half credit earned after that. Even if they know there are always students who just miss things for no apparent good reason. I feel like this is fair because it gives them the responsibility for making it up, and I’d rather people become familiar with the material, rather than just not do it at all.

I think that the mid semester tests must be abolished from all colleges/universities in order to let them prepare for the final exams without any pressure of getting grades,this will not give rise to any decompetition then,so I personally feel that my suggestion will be very useful I want everyone to obey that

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About the Author

BARON PERLMAN is editor of "Teaching Tips." A professor in the department of psychology, distinguished teacher, and University and Rosebush Professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in the department of psychology, he has taught psychology for 29 years. He continues to work to master the art and craft of teaching. LEE I. MCCANN is co-editor of "Teaching Tips." A professor in the department of psychology and a University and Rosebush Professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, he has taught psychology for 38 years. He has presented numerous workshops on teaching and psychology curricula, his current research interests.

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Missing assignments and what to do about them

• January 6, 2022
• Classroom Leadership , Growth , Missing assignments , Student Motivation

Have you ever looked at your grade book and been frustrated by the number of missing assignments? Zeros obviously have an adverse effect on student grades. To address this issue, there has been a lot of discussion about changing the way we grade or limiting the amount of homework given. These discussions should take place but I don’t want argue the pros and cons of those ideas. However, I do want to address the fact that we are ultimately concerned with students showing mastery. Missing work can make this challenging.

We (the adults) can adjust our thinking and strategies regarding missing work, however the constant truth is that mastery is the ultimate goal. For most students, it is going to be challenging for them to show mastery on assessments if they don’t complete the tasks and assignments that preceded the assessment. Why? Because there is a certain feedback loop that should take place between student and teacher before the student even attempts an assignment.

During my time in the classroom I did not find the magic bullet to solve the issue of students not turning in assignments. Zeros filled my gradebook with empty cells highlighted in yellow. However, I will share with you some things that helped me find some success in this area.

1. Talk to the student with the goal of problem solving

The problem ultimately is owned by the student. Keep this in mind and prevent yourself from burning out (I wish I learned this lesson earlier in my career). By listening to the student with the goal of helping them solve their problem, you are in position to offer valuable feedback. Feedback leads to potential adjustments that need to be made by the student. When students adjust based on feedback, they find opportunities.

2. Suggest a planner or digital organizer

Planning for the responsibilities and tasks that life will throw your way is a wise thing to do. Convincing students of this can be challenging. At the high school level, I have found it very difficult to get students to use a planner. I have had some success getting them to use apps. Currently, I use the To Do app by Microsoft and I highly recommend it. At the beginning of each day I sit down and type out all my goals (tasks) for the day. The ones that I complete, I make disappear and the ones I don’t can carry over to the next day.

3. Help the student discover their “Why”

My experience has taught me that students who don’t understand why they go to school tend to struggle keeping up with their school responsibilities. They may say the right thing regarding why they go to school but their missing work reveals something unspoken. You can help your students commit to excellence by helping them discover their “Why.” This revelation can lead to more motivation on the part of the student. Figuring out the “Why” can take some time but starting the conversation and helping the student begin that journey is very important. Here’s something that I would ask students to get started: What is it that you want to do in this world to make it better place for yourself and others?

4. Celebrate Progress

Sometimes, words of affirmation are what students needs to adopt habits that lead to work completion and submission. If you have a student how do used to accumulate a lot of missing work and is now making an attempt to change those habits, celebrate in a big way. Make sure the praise isn’t superficial, but identify specific things that you notice students doing differently. Praise tends to yield more of the desired behavior because students feel good when they receive it.

Missing work can be frustrating and can add extra tasks to your to do list. It can be especially frustrating if you aren’t getting support from parents or administration. Throughout it all, I encourage you to never give up. Remember that you can’t control the student and make them do the assignment, but you can help them problem solve why missing work is a challenge. Like all great teachers, we exhaust all of our tools, get some more and keep trying. You’ve got this.

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Why it’s hard for students to “just turn in” missing assignments, and how to get them unstuck

Mar 29, 2023 | Blog

With the end of the semester on the horizon, many students may feel overwhelmed by low grades or feeling behind in some of their classes.

As a parent, it can be stressful to see that your student has overdue work, or get notifications from their teacher that they’re missing assignments. 

It’s even more frustrating when you’ve told them over and over again how important it is to “just turn it in”…but the work is still showing up as missing.

The reality is that no matter how simple it might seem to an outside observer, doing missing work is almost never as easy as “just getting it done.” If they haven’t done the work yet, there’s a good chance that something is getting in their way. 

If you can figure out what the problem is before jumping in to help them (or make them) do the work, you’ll dramatically increase your chances of success.

In our experience, there are usually 3 main reasons students resist submitting their missing work…even when it seems like “just turning it in” would be SO much easier!

Reason 1: They think it won’t make a difference

Once the due date for an assignment has passed, students often de-prioritize it and move on to focus on upcoming assignments instead. It’s tempting for students to justify this by thinking “there are lots of other assignments, missing one or two won’t matter.”

But what they often don’t realize is that because of the way most grading scales are weighted, even one or two zeros can have an enormous impact on their grade. Showing students the difference it makes to turn in just a few assignments can increase their motivation to get the work done. 

Here’s an example of the difference it can make to turn in just a few missing assignments before the end of the semester:

Overall grade with 3 missing assignments: 78.3%

Overall grade when assignments are turned in: 90.1%

It’s hard for students to calculate these averages in their head, so it can be really powerful for them to run the numbers and see firsthand exactly how much they have to gain from making up their missing assignments.

When we do calculations like this with our students, they are almost always surprised by how much this makeup work could improve their grades, and feel much more motivated to submit the assignments when they can see for themselves the difference it will make.

Reason 2: They think it’s too late

Another reason students often resist doing makeup work is that they think it’s too late to get credit for it. 

Even if they’ve done the math and know that submitting the work would make a difference in their grade, they still won’t want to turn it in if they think the teacher won’t accept it.

Especially for introverted or anxious students, it can be very intimidating to have conversations with their teachers. They might think they’ll get in trouble for asking to submit their work late, or worry that the teacher will say “no.”

The good news is that many teachers are flexible with their late work policies and allow students to turn in overdue assignments even when it is past the “official” deadline to submit them.

So if students can find the courage to ask for help, there is a good chance that their teachers will respond positively and allow them an opportunity to make up the work.

For students who are struggling to reach out to teachers, we often find it is helpful to roleplay these conversations in coaching sessions if they’re not sure what to say, or work with them to email their teachers if they’re not sure what to say.

Reason 3: They feel overwhelmed

Students who are behind on their work often have challenges keeping track of due dates, managing time, breaking down complex assignments, prioritizing work, staying focused, or following through with plans….which is why they fell behind in the first place. 

These challenges can become even more daunting when they are behind in their classes, and trying to complete makeup assignments on top of their normal workload.

This can feel so stressful that a lot of students avoid or put off doing makeup work even when they   know   how much it would improve their grade.

For these students to get their work submitted, it’s essential to help them find ways to…

• Break down the assignments so they have a realistic plan for getting the work done that they’re confident they can actually follow through with
• Lower the stress they feel while they are doing the work so they will be less tempted to avoid it
• Visualize the progress they are making so they can see that their efforts are making a difference

Providing support

When students have a lot of makeup work to complete, having some additional support to help them work through it can be invaluable. 

For some students, this may mean finding a tutor to help them with the content they didn’t understand when their teacher was first presenting the material. 

For other students, having a family member or friend nearby as a source of moral support to keep them company while they are working (and a motivating reward to look forward to as soon as the work is completed) can be enormously helpful.

Other students may benefit from working with an academic coach to help them get unstuck and started on their missing work. Sometimes, having someone else who is not a family member step in to help can reduce stress and conflict at home and make it easier for students to take the steps they need to get back on track in their classes. If you think this type of support would be helpful for your student, please feel free to reach out and we’ll be happy to help! 

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Most of my 9-week grading periods ended the same way: Me and one or two students, sitting in my quiet, empty classroom together, with me sitting at the computer, the students nearby in desks, methodically working through piles of make-up assignments. They would be focused, more focused than I’d seen them in months, and the speed with which they got through the piles was stunning. 

As they finished each assignment I took it, checked it for accuracy, then entered their scores—taking 50 percent off for being late—into my grading program. With every entry, I’d watch as their class grade went up and up: from a 37 percent to a 41, then to 45, then to 51, and eventually to something in the 60s or even low 70s, a number that constituted passing, at which point the process would end and we’d part ways, full of resolve that next marking period would be different.

And the whole time I thought to myself, This is pointless . They aren’t learning anything at all. But I wasn’t sure what else to do.

For as long as teachers have assigned tasks in exchange for grades, late work has been a problem. What do we do when a student turns in work late? Do we give some kind of consequence or accept assignments at any time with no penalty? Do we set up some kind of system that keeps students motivated while still holding them accountable? Is there a way to manage all of this without driving ourselves crazy?

To find answers, I went to Twitter and asked teachers to share what works for them. What follows is a summary of their responses. I wish I could give individual credit to each person who offered ideas, but that would take way too long, and I really want you to get these suggestions now! If you’ve been unsatisfied with your own approach to late work, you should find some fresh ideas here.

First, a Few Questions About Your Grades

Before we get into the ways teachers manage late work, let’s back up a bit and consider whether your overall program of assignments and grading is in a healthy place. Here are some questions to think about:  

• What do your grades represent? How much of your grades are truly based on academic growth, and how much are based mostly on compliance? If they lean more toward compliance, then what you’re doing when you try to manage late work is basically a lot of administrative paper pushing, rather than teaching your content. Although it’s important for kids to learn how to manage deadlines, do you really want an A in your course to primarily reflect the ability to follow instructions? If your grades are too compliance-based, consider how you might shift things so they more accurately represent learning. (For a deeper discussion of this issue, read How Accurate Are Your Grades? )
• Are you grading too many things? If you spend a lot of time chasing down missing assignments in order to get more scores in your gradebook, it could be that you’re grading too much. Some teachers only enter grades for major, summative tasks, like projects, major writing assignments, or exams. Everything else is considered formative and is either ungraded or given a very low point value for completion, not graded for accuracy; it’s practice . For teachers who are used to collecting lots of grades over a marking period, this will be a big shift, and if you work in a school where you’re expected to enter grades into your system frequently, that shift will be even more difficult. Convincing your students that ungraded practice is worthwhile because it will help their performance on the big things will be another hurdle. With all of that said, reducing the number of scored items will make your grades more meaningful and cut way down on the time you spend grading and managing late work.
• What assumptions do you make when students don’t turn in work? I’m embarrassed to admit that when I first started teaching, I assumed most students with missing work were just unmotivated. Although this might be true for a small portion of students, I no longer see this as the most likely reason. Students may have issues with executive function and could use some help developing systems for managing their time and responsibilities. They may struggle with anxiety. Or they may not have the resources—like time, space, and technology—to consistently complete work at home. More attention has been paid lately to the fact that homework is an equity issue , and our policies around homework should reflect an understanding that all students don’t have access to the same resources once they leave school for the day. Punitive policies that are meant to “motivate” students don’t take any of these other issues into consideration, so if your late work penalties don’t seem to be working, it’s likely that the root cause is something other than a lack of motivation.
• What kind of grading system is realistic for you ? Any system you put in place requires YOU to stay on top of grading. It would be much harder to assign penalties, send home reminders, or track lateness if you are behind on marking papers by a week, two weeks, even a month. So whatever you do, create a plan that you can actually keep up with.

Possible Solutions

1. penalties.

Many teachers give some sort of penalty to students for late work. The thinking behind this is that without some sort of negative consequence, too many students would wait until the end of the marking period to turn work in, or in some cases, not turn it in at all. When work is turned in weeks or even months late, it can lose its value as a learning opportunity because it is no longer aligned with what’s happening in class. On top of that, teachers can end up with massive piles of assignments to grade in the last few days of a marking period. This not only places a heavy burden on teachers, it is far from an ideal condition for giving students the good quality feedback they should be getting on these assignments.

Several types of penalties are most common:

Point Deductions In many cases, teachers simply reduce the grade as a result of the lateness. Some teachers will take off a certain number of points per day until they reach a cutoff date after which the work will no longer be accepted. One teacher who responded said he takes off 10 percent for up to three days late, then 30 percent for work submitted up to a week late; he says most students turn their work in before the first three days are over. Others have a standard amount that comes off for any late work (like 10 percent), regardless of when it is turned in. This policy still rewards students for on-time work without completely de-motivating those who are late, builds in some accountability for lateness, and prevents the teacher from having to do a lot of mathematical juggling with a more complex system. 

Parent Contact Some teachers keep track of late work and contact parents if it is not turned in. This treats the late work as more of a conduct issue; the parent contact may be in addition to or instead of taking points away. 

No Feedback, No Re-Dos The real value of homework and other smaller assignments should be the opportunity for feedback: Students do an assignment, they get timely teacher feedback, and they use that feedback to improve. In many cases, teachers allow students to re-do and resubmit assignments based on that feedback. So a logical consequence of late work could be the loss of that opportunity: Several teachers mentioned that their policy is to accept late work for full credit, but only students who submit work on time will receive feedback or the chance to re-do it for a higher grade. Those who hand in late work must accept whatever score they get the first time around. 

2. A Separate Work Habits Grade

In a lot of schools, especially those that use standards-based grading, a student’s grade on an assignment is a pure representation of their academic mastery; it does not reflect compliance in any way. So in these classrooms, if a student turns in good work, it’s going to get a good grade even if it’s handed in a month late. 

But students still need to learn how to manage their time. For that reason, many schools assign a separate grade for work habits. This might measure factors like adherence to deadlines, neatness, and following non-academic guidelines like font sizes or using the correct heading on a paper. 

• Although most teachers whose schools use this type of system will admit that students and parents don’t take the work habits grade as seriously as the academic grade, they report being satisfied that student grades only reflect mastery of the content.
• One school calls their work habits grade a “behavior” grade, and although it doesn’t impact GPA, students who don’t have a certain behavior grade can’t make honor roll, despite their actual GPA.
• Several teachers mentioned looking for patterns and using the separate grade as a basis for conferences with parents, counselors, or other stakeholders. For most students, there’s probably a strong correlation between work habits and academic achievement, so separating the two could help students see that connection.
• Some learning management systems will flag assignments as late without necessarily taking points off. Although this does not automatically translate to a work habits grade, it indicates the lateness to students and parents without misrepresenting the academic achievement.

3. Homework Passes

Because things happen in real life that can throw anyone off course every now and then, some teachers offer passes students can use to replace a missed assignment.

• Most teachers only offer these passes to replace low-point assignments, not major ones, and they generally only offer 1 to 3 passes per marking period. Homework passes can usually only recover 5 to 10 percent of a student’s overall course grade. 
• Other teachers have a policy of allowing students to drop one or two of their lowest scores in the gradebook. Again, this is typically done for smaller assignments and has the same net effect as a homework pass by allowing everyone to have a bad day or two.
• One teacher gives “Next Class Passes” which allow students one extra day to turn in work. At the end of every marking period she gives extra credit points to students who still have unused passes. She says that since she started doing this, she has had the lowest rate ever of late work. 

4. Extension Requests

Quite a few teachers require students to submit a written request for a deadline extension rather than taking points off. With a system like this, every student turns something in on the due date, whether it’s the assignment itself or an extension request.

• Most extension requests ask students to explain why they were unable to complete the assignment on time. This not only gives the students a chance to reflect on their habits, it also invites the teacher to help students solve larger problems that might be getting in the way of their academic success. 
• Having students submit their requests via Google Forms reduces the need for paper and routes all requests to a single spreadsheet, which makes it easier for teachers to keep track of work that is late or needs to be regraded.  
• Other teachers use a similar system for times when students want to resubmit work for a new grade. 

5. Floating Deadlines

Rather than choosing a single deadline for an assignment, some teachers assign a range of dates for students to submit work. This flexibility allows students to plan their work around other life activities and responsibilities.

• Some teachers offer an incentive to turn in work in the early part of the time frame, such as extra credit or faster feedback, and this helps to spread out the submissions more evenly. 
• Another variation on this approach is to assign a batch of work for a whole week and ask students to get it in by Friday. This way, students get to manage when they get it done. 
• Other names mentioned for this strategy were flexible deadlines , soft deadlines , and due windows .

6. Let Students Submit Work in Progress

Some digital platforms, like Google Classroom, allow students to “submit” assignments while they are still working on them. This allows teachers to see how far the student has gotten and address any problems that might be coming up. If your classroom is mostly paper-based, it’s certainly possible to do this kind of thing with paper as well, letting students turn in partially completed work to demonstrate that an effort has been made and show you where they might be stuck.

7. Give Late Work Full Credit

Some teachers accept all late work with no penalty. Most of them agree that if the work is important, and if we want students to do it, we should let them hand it in whenever they get it done. 

• Some teachers fear this approach will cause more students to stop doing the work or delay submission until the end of a marking period, but teachers who like this approach say they were surprised by how little things changed when they stopped giving penalties: Most students continued to turn work in more or less on time, and the same ones who were late under the old system were still late under the new one. The big difference was that the teacher no longer had to spend time calculating deductions or determining whether students had valid excuses; the work was simply graded for mastery.
• To give students an incentive to actually turn the work in before the marking period is over, some teachers will put a temporary zero in the gradebook as a placeholder until the assignment is turned in, at which point the zero is replaced with a grade.
• Here’s a twist on the “no penalty” option: Some teachers don’t take points off for late work, but they limit the time frame when students can turn it in. Some will not accept late work after they have graded and returned an assignment; at that point it would be too easy for students to copy off of the returned papers. Others will only accept late work up until the assessment for the unit, because the work leading up to that is meant to prepare for that assessment. 

8. Other Preventative Measures

These strategies aren’t necessarily a way to manage late work as much as they are meant to prevent it in the first place.

• Include students in setting deadlines. When it comes to major assignments, have students help you determine due dates. They may have a better idea than you do about other big events that are happening and assignments that have been given in other classes.
• Stop assigning homework. Some teachers have stopped assigning homework entirely, recognizing that disparities at home make it an unfair measurement of academic mastery. Instead, all meaningful work is done in class, where the teacher can monitor progress and give feedback as needed. Long-term projects are done in class as well, so the teacher is aware of which students need more time and why. 
• Make homework optional or self-selected. Not all students need the same amount of practice. You may be able to get your students to assess their own need for additional practice and assign that practice to themselves. Although this may sound far-fetched, in some classes, like this self-paced classroom , it actually works, because students know they will be graded on a final assessment, they get good at determining when they need extra practice.

With so many different approaches to late work, what’s clear is that there are a lot of different schools of thought on grading and assessment, so it’s not a surprise that we don’t always land on the best solution on the first try. Experiment with different systems, talk to your colleagues, and be willing to try something new until you find something that works for you. 

Further Reading

20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half This free e-book is full of ideas that can help with grading in general.

On Your Mark: Challenging the Conventions of Grading and Reporting Thomas R. Guskey This book came highly recommended by a number of teachers.

Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to Go Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School Starr Sackstein

Come back for more. Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You’ll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half , the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined—come on in.

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Categories: Classroom Management , Instruction , Podcast

Tags: assessment , organization

51 Comments

I teach high school science (mine is a course that does not have an “end of course” test so the stakes are not as high) and I teach mostly juniors and seniors. Last year I decided not to accept any late work whatsoever unless a student is absent the day it is assigned or due (or if they have an accomodation in a 504 or IEP – and I may have had one or two students with real/documented emergencies that I let turn in late.) This makes it so much easier on me because I don’t have to keep up with how many days/points to deduct – that’s a nightmare. It also forces them to be more responsible. They usually have had time to do it in class so there’s no reason for it to be late. Also, I was very frustrated with homework not being completed and I hated having to grade it and keep up with absent work. So I don’t “require” homework (and rarely assign it any more) but if students do ALL (no partial credit) of it they get a 100% (small point value grade), if they are absent or they don’t do it they are exempt. So it ends up being a sort of extra credit grade but it does not really penalize students who don’t do it. When students ask me for extra credit (which I don’t usually give), the first thing I ask is if they’ve done all the homework assigned. That usually shuts down any further discussion. I’ve decided I’m not going to spend tons of time chasing and calculating grades on small point values that do not make a big difference in an overall grade. 🙂

Do I understand correctly….

Homework is not required. If a student fully completes the HW, they will earn full points. If the student is absent or doesn’t do it, they are excused. Students who do complete the HW will benefit a little bit in their overall grade, but students who don’t compete the work will not be penalized. Did I understand it correctly?

Do you stipulate that a student must earn a certain % on the assignment to get the full points? What about a student who completed an assignment but completes the entire thing incorrectly? Still full credit? Or an opportunity to re-do?

Thank you in advance.

From reading this blog post I was thinking the same thing. When not penalizing students for homework do you have students who do turn it in getting extra points in class?

From what I have seen, if there is a benefit for turning in homework and students see this benefit more will try to accomplish what the homework is asking. So avoid penalization is okay, but make sure the ones turning it in are getting rewarded in some way.

The other question regarding what to do with students who may not be completing the assignments correctly, you could use this almost as a formative assessment. You could still give them the credit but use this as a time for you to focus on that student a little more and see where he/she isn’t understanding the content.

Our school has a system called Catch Up Cafe. Students with missing work report to a specific teacher during the first 15 minutes of lunch to work on missing work. Students upgrade to a Wednesday after school time if they have accumulated 4 or more missing assignments on any Monday. They do not have to serve if they can clear ALL missing work by the end of the day Wednesday. Since work is not dragging out for a long period of time, most teachers do not take off points.

How do you manage the logistics of who has missing and how many assignments are needed to be completed-to make sure they are attending the Catch up Cafe or Wednesday after school? How do you manage the communication with parents?

When a student has missing work it can be very difficult to see what he/she is missing. I always keep a running record of all of their assignments that quarter and if they miss that assigement I keep it blank to remind myself there was never a submission. Once I know that this student is missing this assignment I give them their own copy and write at the top late. So once they do turn it in I know that it’s late and makes grading it easier.

There are a lot of different programs that schools use but I’ve always kept a paper copy so I have a back-up.

I find that the worst part of tracking make-up work is keeping tabs on who was absent for a school activity, illness or other excused absence, and who just didn’t turn in the assignment. I obviously have to accept work turned in “late” due to an excused absence, but I can handle the truly late work however I wish. Any advice on simplifying tracking for this?

I tell my students to simply write “Absent (day/s)” at the top of the paper. I remind them of this fairly regularly. That way, if they were absent, it’s their responsibility to notify me, and it’s all together. If you create your own worksheets, etc., you could add a line to the top as an additional reminder.

It might be worth checking out Evernote .

In order to keep track of what type of missing assignments, I put a 0 in as a grade so students and parents know an assignment was never submitted. If a student was here on the due date and day assignment was given then it is a 0 in the grade book. If a student was absent the day the assignment was given or when it was due, I put a 00 in the grade book. This way I know if it was because of an absence or actual no work completed.

This is exactly what I do. Homework can only count 10% in our district. Claims that kids fail due to zeros for homework are specious.

This is SUCH a difficult issue and I have tried a few of the suggested ways in years past. My questions is… how do we properly prepare kids for college while still being mindful of the inequities at home? We need to be sure that we are giving kids opportunity, resources, and support, but at the same time if we don’t introduce them to some of the challenges they will be faced with in college (hours of studying and research and writing regardless of the hours you might have to spend working to pay that tuition), are we truly preparing them? I get the idea of mastery of content without penalty for late work and honestly that is typically what I go with, but I constantly struggle with this and now that I will be moving from middle to high school, I worry even more about the right way to handle late work and homework. I don’t want to hold students back in my class by being too much of a stickler about seemingly little things, but I don’t want to send them to college unprepared to experience a slap in the face, either. I don’t want to provide extra hurdles, but how do I best help them learn how to push through the hurdles and rigor if they aren’t held accountable? I always provide extra time after school, at lunch, etc., and have also experienced that end of term box checking of assignments in place of a true learning experience, but how do we teach them the importance of using resources, asking for help, allowing for mistakes while holding them to standards and learning work habits that will be helpful to them when they will be on their own? I just don’t know where the line is between helping students learn the value of good work habits and keeping them from experiencing certain challenges they need to understand in order to truly get ahead.

Thanks for sharing – I can tell how much you care for your students, wanting them to be confident independent learners. What I think I’m hearing is perhaps the struggle between that fine line of enabling and supporting. When supporting kids, whether academically or behaviorally, we’re doing something that assists or facilitates their growth. So, for example, a student that has anxiety or who doesn’t have the resources at home to complete an assignment, we can assist by giving that student extra time or an alternative place to complete the assignment. This doesn’t lower expectations, it just offers support to help them succeed.

Enabling on the other hand, puts systems in place that don’t involve consequences, which in turn allow the behaviors to continue. It involves excuses and solving problems for others. It may be about lowering expectations and letting people get by with patterns of behavior.

Late work is tricky. The article does mention the importance of time management, which is why separating academic grades from work habits is something a lot of schools are doing. Sometimes real life happens and kids need a “pass.” If whatever you’re doing seems to be helping to support a student rather than enabling patterns, then that might help you distinguish between that fine line. Hope this helps!

Thank you again for such a great post. Always high-quality, relevant, and helpful. I so appreciate you and the work you do!

So glad to hear you enjoyed the post, Liz! I’ll make sure Jenn sees this.

I thought that these points brought up about receiving late work were extremely helpful and I hope that every classroom understands how beneficial these strategies could be.

When reading the penalties section under point deductions it brought up the idea of taking points off slowly as time goes by. Currently in my classroom the only point deduction I take off is 30% of the total grade after it is received late. No matter how much time has gone by in that grading period it will have 30% off the total.

I’m curious if changing this technique to something that would increase the percentage off as time goes by will make students turn in their work on time.

My question to everyone is which grading technique would be more beneficial for the students? Do you believe that just taking off 30% for late work would help students more when turning in their work or do you think that as time goes by penalizing their final score will have students turn in their work more?

If anyone has any answers it would be extremely beneficial.

Thank you, Kirby

When I was in school my school did 1/3 of a grade each day it was like. So 1 day late A >A-. Two days late: A->>B+ so on and so forth. This worked really well for me because I knew that I could still receive a good grade if I worked hard on an assignment, even if it was a day or two late.

I dread it when I have missing work or unsubmitted work. I would try to get a last-minute effort to chase those needed pieces of work which could be done from those students housed in dorms on campus. It is better than not failing them for lacking to turn in graded submissions or taking scheduled quizzes. I dread this not for the students, sadly, but for likely call to explain why I did not keep physical evidence of students’ supposed learning. In my part of the globe, we have a yearly “quality assurance” audit by the country’s educational authorities or their representatives.

I am a pre-service teacher and I am in the process of developing my personal philosophies in education, including the topic of late work. I will be certified as a secondary social studies teacher and would like to teach in a high school. Your post brought my attention to some important insights about the subject. For example, before this post I had not thought to use feedback as a way to incentivize homework submission on time. This action coupled with the ability to re-do assignments is a great way to emphasize the importance of turning work in on time. I do have a follow-up question, how do you adequately manage grading re-do’s and feedback on all assignments? What kinds of organizational and time-management strategies do you use as a teacher? Further, how much homework do you assign when providing this as an option?

Additionally, have you administered or seen the no penalty and homework acceptance time limit in practice (for example, all homework must be turned in by the unit test)? I was curious if providing a deadline to accept all homework until the unit test may result in an access of papers I need to grade. From your experience, what practice(s) have you seen work well in the classroom?

My goal is to prepare students for life beyond high school and to support their intellectual, social, and emotional development during their high school learning experience. Similar to a previous commenter (Kate), I am also trying to define a balance between holding students accountable in order to best prepare them for their future lives and providing opportunities to raise their grade if they are willing to do the work.

Hey Jessica, you have some great questions. I’d recommend checking out the following blog posts from Jenn that will help you learn more about keeping track of assessments, differentiation, and other aspects of grading: Kiddom: Standards-based Grading Made Wonderful , Could You Teach Without Grades , Boost Your Assessment Power with GradeCam , and Four Research-Based Strategies Every Teacher Should be Using . I hope this helps you find answers to your questions!

Overall I found this article extremely helpful and it actually reinforced many ideas I already had about homework and deadlines. One of my favorite teachers I had in high school was always asking for our input on when we felt assignments should be due based on what extra curricular activities were taking place in a given time period. We were all extremely grateful for his consideration and worked that much harder on the given assignments.

While it is important to think about our own well-being when grading papers, I think it is just as important (if not more) to be conscious of how much work students might have in other classes or what students schedules are like outside of school. If we really want students to do their best work, we need to give them enough time to do the work. This will in turn, help them care more about the subject matter and help them dive deeper. Obviously there still needs to be deadlines, but it does not hurt to give students some autonomy and say in the classroom.

Thanks for your comment Zach. I appreciate your point about considering students’ involvement in extracurricular activities and other responsibilities they may have outside the school day. It’s definitely an important consideration. The only homework my son seemed to have in 8th grade was for his history class. I agree that there’s a need for teachers to maintain more of a balance across classes when it comes to the amount of homework they give to students.

Thank you for an important, thought-provoking post! As a veteran teacher of 20+ years, I have some strong opinions about this topic. I have always questioned the model of ‘taking points off’ for late work. I do not see how this presents an accurate picture of what the student knows or can do. Shouldn’t he be able to prove his knowledge regardless of WHEN? Why does WHEN he shows you what he knows determine WHAT he knows?

Putting kids up against a common calendar with due dates and timelines, regardless of their ability to learn the material at the same rate is perhaps not fair. There are so many different situations facing our students – some students have challenges and difficulty with deadlines for a plethora of potential reasons, and some have nothing but support, structure, and time. When it comes to deadlines – Some students need more time. Other students may need less time. Shouldn’t all students have a chance to learn at a pace that is right for them? Shouldn’t we measure student success by demonstrations of learning instead of how much time it takes to turn in work? Shouldn’t students feel comfortable when it is time to show me what they’ve learned, and when they can demonstrate they’ve learned it, I want their grade to reflect that.

Of course we want to teach students how to manage their time. I am not advocating for a lax wishy-washy system that allows for students to ‘get to it when they get to it’. I do believe in promoting work-study habits, and using a separate system to assign a grade for responsibility, respect, management, etc is a potential solution. I understand that when introducing this type of system, it may be tough to get buy-in from parents and older students who have traditionally only looked at an academic grade because it is the only piece of the puzzle that impacts GPA. Adopting a separate work-study grading system would involve encouraging the entire school community – starting at the youngest level – to see its value. It would be crucial for the school to promote the importance of high level work-study habits right along side academic grades.

I teach a specials course to inner city middle schoolers at a charter school. All students have to take my class since it is one of the core pillars of the school’s culture and mission. Therefore it is a double edge sword. Some students and parents think it is irrelevant like an art or music class but will get upset to find out it isn’t just an easy A class. Other students and parents love it because they come to our charter school just to be in this class that isn’t offered anywhere else in the state, except at the college level.

As you may have already guessed, I see a lot of students who don’t do the work. So much that I no longer assign homework, which the majority would not be able to do independently anyways or may develop the wrong way of learning the material, due to the nature of the subject. So everything is done in the classroom together as a class. And then we grade together to reinforce the learning. This is why I absolutely do not accept missing work and there is no reason for late work. Absent students make up the work by staying after school upon their return or they can print it off of Google classroom at home and turn in by the end of the day of their return. Late and missing work is a big issue at our school. I’ve had whole classrooms not do the work even as I implemented the new routine. Students will sit there and mark their papers as we do it in the classroom but by the end they are not handing it in because they claim not to have anything to hand in. Or when they do it appears they were doing very little. I’d have to micromanage all 32 students every 5 minutes to make sure they were actually doing the work, which I believe core teachers do. But that sets a very bad precedent because I noticed our students expect to be handheld every minute or they claim they can’t do the work. I know this to be the case since before this class I was teaching a computer class and the students expected me to sit right next to them and give them step-by-step instructions of where to click on the screen. They simply could not follow along as I demonstrated on the Aquos board. So I do think part of the problem is the administrators’ encouraging poor work ethics. They’re too focused on meeting proficient standard to the point they want teachers to handhold students. They also want teachers to accept late and missing work all the way until the end of each quarter. Well that’s easy if you only have a few students but when you have classrooms full of them, that means trying to grade 300+ students multiplied by “x” amount of late/missing work the week before report card rolls out – to which we still have to write comments for C- or below students. Some of us teach all the grade levels 6-8th. And that has actually had negative effects because students no longer hold themselves accountable.

To be honest, I really do think this is why there is such a high turnover rate and teachers who started giving busy work only. In the inner city, administrators only care about putting out the illusion of proficiency while students and parents don’t want any accountability for their performance. As soon as a student fails because they have to actually try to learn (which is a risk for failing), the parent comes in screaming.

Yea, being an Art teacher you lost me at “ irrelevant like an art or music .”

I teach middle school in the inner city where missing and late work is a chronic issue so the suggestions and ideas above do not work. Students and parents have become complacent with failing grades so penalizing work isn’t going to motivate them to do better the next time. The secret to teaching in the inner city is to give them a way out without it becoming massive work for you. Because trust me, if you give them an inch they will always want a mile at your expense. Depending on which subject you teach, it might be easier to just do everything in class. That way it becomes an all or nothing grade. They either did or didn’t do the work. No excuses, no chasing down half the school through number of calls to disconnected phone numbers and out of date emails, no explaining to parents why Johnny has to stay after school to finish assignments when mom needs him home to babysit or because she works second shift and can’t pick him up, etc. Students have no reason for late work or for missing work when they were supposed to do it right there in class. Absent students can catch up with work when they return.

Milton, I agree with all of what you are saying and have experienced. Not to say that that is for all students I have had, but it is a slow progression as to what is happening with students and parents as years go by. I understand that there are areas outside of the classroom we cannot control and some students do not have certain necessities needed to help them but they need to start learning what can they do to help themselves. I make sure the students know they can come and talk to me if needing help or extra time, tutor after school and even a phone number to contact along with email if needing to ask questions or get help. But parents and students do not use these opportunities given until the week before school ends and are now wanting their student to pass and what can be done. It is frustrating and sad. I let students and parents know my expectation up front and if they do not take the opportunity to talk to me then the grade they earned is the result.

I am a special education resource teacher and late work/missing work happens quite a lot. After reading this article, I want to try a few different things to help minimize this issue. However, I am not the one making the grades or putting the grades in. I am just giving the work to the students in small group settings and giving them more access to the resources they need to help them be successful on these assignments based on their current IEP. I use a make-up folder, and usually I will pull these students to work on their work during a different time than when I regularly pull them. That way they do not miss the delivery of instruction they get from me and it does not punish my other students either if there is make-up work that needs to be completed. I try to give my students ample time to complete their work, so there is no excuse for them not to complete it. If they are absent, then I pull them at a time that they can make it up.

I too agree with that there’s a need for teachers to maintain more of a balance across classes when it comes to the amount of homework they give to students.

I had a few teachers who were willing to tolerate lateness in favor of getting it/understanding the material. Lastly, my favorite teacher was the one who gave me many chances to do rewrites of a ‘bad essay’ and gave me as much time as needed (of course still within like the semester or even month but I never took more than two weeks) because he wanted me to do well. I ended up with a 4 in AP exam though so that’s good.

Late work has a whole new meaning with virtual learning. I am drowning in late work (via Google Classroom). I don’t want to penalize students for late work as every home situation is different. I grade and provide feedback timely (to those who submitted on time). However, I am being penalized every weekend and evening as I try to grade and provide feedback during this time. I would love some ideas.

Hi Susan! I’m in the same place–I have students who (after numerous reminders) still haven’t submitted work due days…weeks ago, and I’m either taking time to remind them again or give feedback on “old” work over my nights and weekends. So, while it’s not specific to online learning, Jenn’s A Few Ideas for Dealing with Late Work is a post I’ve been trying to put into practice the last few days. I hope this helps!

Graded assignment flexibility is essential to the process of learning in general but especially in our new world of digital divide

It is difficult to determine who is doing the work at home. Follow up videos on seesaw help to see if the student has gained the knowledge or is being given the answers.

This is some good information. This is a difficult subject.

I love the idea of a catch-up cafe! I think I will try to implement this in my school. It’s in the same place every day, yes? And the teachers take turns monitoring? I’m just trying to get a handle on the logistics – I know those will be the first questions I get.

I really enjoyed this post. I think it provides a lot of perspective on a topic that teachers get way too strict about. I just wonder: wouldn’t it be inevitable for students to become lazy and care less about their understanding if there wasn’t any homework (or even if it was optional)? I know students don’t like it, and it can get redundant if they understand the content, but it truly is good practice.

Hi Shannon,

Glad the post helped! Homework is one of those hot educational topics, but I can’t say I’ve personally come across a situation or found any research where kids become lazy or unmotivated if not assigned homework. In fact, research indicates that homework doesn’t really have much impact on learning until high school. I just think that if homework is going to be assigned, it needs to be intentional and purposeful. (If students have already mastered a skill, I’m not sure how homework would provide them much benefit.) Here’s an article that I think is worth checking out. See what you think.

I like how you brought up how homework needs to be given with the understanding that not all kids have the same resources at home. Some kids don’t have computers or their parents won’t let them use it. There is no way of knowing this so teachers should give homework that requires barely any utensils or technology.

I think having students help determine the due dates for major assignments is a great idea. This works well with online schools too. Remote jobs are the future so helping students learn how to set their own due dates and to get homework done from home will prepare them for the future.

This year I am trying something new. After reading this article, I noticed that I have used a combination of some of these strategies to combat late work and encourage students to turn work in on time. I only record a letter grade in the grade book: A, B, C, D, F. If a student turns in an assignment late, I flag it as late, but it does not affect their “grade”.

If a student wants to redo an assignment, they must turn something in. If they miss the due date, they can still turn it in, but lose the opportunity to redo the assignment. Students will meet with me one last time before they turn it in to get final feedback.

At the end of the grading period, I conference with the student about their final grade, looking at how many times they have handed work in on-time or late. This will determine if the student has earned an A or an A+ .

I really appreciate how your post incorporates a lot of suggestions for the way that teachers can think about and grade homework. Thank you for mentioning how different students have different resources available as well. As teachers, we need to be aware of the different resources our students have and tailor our approach to homework to match. I like the idea of grading homework based on completion and accepting late work for full credit at any time (substituting a zero in the grade book until it is turned in). This is definitely a strategy that I’ll be using!

So glad the article was helpful for you! I will be sure to pass on your comments to Jenn.

I also have been teaching for a long time and I have found that providing an END OF WEEK (Friday at 11:59) due date for assignments allows students to get the work completed by that time. It helps with athletes, and others involved in extra curricular activities. I feel this is fair. I give my tests/quizzes on the days assigned and the supplemental work on Fridays.

I personally, as a special education teach, would allow my SPED students extra time to complete the work they have missed. This is in alignment with their IEP accommodations. I would work with each one independently and have remediation with the content that they are having difficulty. This setting would be in a small group and separate classroom.

I really like the idea of a work habits grade. I struggle with students who turn things in late regularly earning the same grade as those who always turn things in on time. A work habits grade could really motivate some learners.

I’ve been in education for 37 years and in all manner of positions. I share this only to also say that things have changed quite a bit. When I started teaching I only had one, maybe two students in a class of 34 elementary students that would not have homework or classwork finished. Now, I have two classes of about 15 each. One group is often half the class on a regular basis not having homework or not finishing classwork on a regular basis- so far. Additionally parents will pull students out to go to amusement parks, etc and expect all work to be made up and at full credit. I believe that the idea of homework is clearly twofold- to teach accountability and to reengage a learner. Classwork is critical to working with the content and, learning objective. We can all grade various ways; however, at some point, the learner has to step up. Learning is not passive, nor is it all on the teacher. I have been called “mean” because I make students do their work in class, refocusing them, etc. I find that is my duty. Late work should be simply dealt with consistently and with understanding to circumstance IMO. You were out or it was late because mom and dad were upset, ok versus we went to Disney for three days and I was too tired. hmm- used to be easy with excused/unexcused absences, now there is no difference. Late with no absence? That can be a problem and I reach out to home and handle it individually at my level.

Hi Jennifer! I really like your sharing about this topic! Late work is a problem that every teacher encounters. Thank you for your consideration of this issue and the many wise ideas you have provided. Your ideas also remind me to reflect on whether my overall program of assignments and grading is in a healthy place. I was inspired by the preventative measures you listed in this post. I want to try to include my students in setting deadlines, especially for some big projects. Students will feel respected by teachers and will be more willing to complete the assignments before deadlines! As you mentioned, some teachers have made homework optional or self-selected, or even stopped assigning homework. I partially agree with that opinion. I indeed try to reduce the amount of students’ homework or even stop assigning homework sometime, but doing related practice in class instead. I believe that the purpose of homework is to aid pupils in mastering the knowledge; it is not a necessary thing.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Yang. Jenn will be glad to know that you found the post inspiring!

Thanks so much for all your insights on giving assignments or homework. All are very helpful as I prepare to return to work after an extended medical leave. It is good to refresh! Anything we require of our students should be purposeful and meaningful to them, so they will give their best to meet whatever deadlines we set. I also like asking our students when is the best time they can turn work in; this is meeting them halfway. And if one strategy does not work, there are more to try; just read this post. Thanks a bunch!!

Jenn will be glad to know the post was helpful for you, Jo!

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The Case Against Zeros in Grading

Teachers can rethink their grading practices to make them more mathematically fair for students and allow for redemption for a missed assignment.

Let’s say a student fails to turn something in. What grade should they receive? I have asked this question of a lot of teachers lately, and here are the most common answers I’ve gotten: “Zero.” “Nothing.” “-5.” “An F.” “A K.” What?

I’m currently in my 19th year of teaching, and my answer to this question has evolved significantly over time. I was a staunch “Give them a zero. I don’t give points for doing nothing. You earn them.” However, in the past two years, my answer has evolved to include some nuance that I believe is more mathematically fair to students and allows for redemption.

Understand the Grade Band Reality

I’m a math teacher and I love number lines. So what does this have to do with grades? Let’s envision a number line with the traditional 0–100 grade scale on it. Way over on the right would be the A grade band (90–100). The B band would be from 80 to 90, a C from 70 to 80, and a D from 60 to 70.

When a student receives an F, that grade band doesn’t continue with that nice equal 10-point interval from 50 to 60. When we give students a zero, that zero is in grade purgatory! If we continued the equal-interval spacing of 10 points per letter, a zero would actually be a K. I think K stands for “Kill Grade.” Let me explain.

Think about a student who does consistent B (85) work. Their first two assignments are solid 85s, so the average is an 85. If this student doesn’t turn in the third assignment and receives a zero, their grade drops to an F (57). Because of that one zero, it will take that student 14 more 85s just to get their grade back to an 80.

To be clear, a student could have 15 total 85s in the grade book and one missing assignment (traditional zero), and their grade would still be C because of the way that zero mathematically affects the grading system .

Our students know this. They get in a hole because of some missing work or some zeros and they inherently know that they may never be able to get out of it no matter what they do. They can consistently turn in good work, but their grade hardly improves because of the math behind the K (the zero).

Think Philosophically to Redefine ‘0’

When I realized this, I had to philosophically understand what I wanted my grade book to be: an accurate reflection of student knowledge. I also don’t want my grading practices to be demotivating. I needed to make a change and wrap my head around “giving them something for nothing.” It seemed as wrong as the K grade. So here’s what I did: I had to reframe the concept of a zero.

If we think about grades on an equal-interval basis, each grade band is worth an equal value of 1. An F is 0, a D is 1, C is 2, B is 3, and A is 4. If we make each grade band equal, then failure isn’t disproportionately weighted. If we still have to use the 0–100 scale (which is mathematically skewed to failure), then we have to hack the traditional grade book and convert that 0–4 equal-interval scale into a 50–100 scale. Essentially, this makes 50 the new zero. We redefine the floor of our grading system to make it more mathematically accurate and less punitive. I’m not giving them something for nothing. I changed the narrative to redefine the floor at 50, so that failure isn’t worth more than success.

Let’s revisit our student who does consistent B work. The student does B-level work on two assignments and then misses one. Instead of giving that missing assignment a K (0), we give it an F (50). We use our new floor of 50 for a missing assignment. The student’s overall grade significantly drops to a 73, but it takes only four more Bs to get back into the B band. The F allows for redemption. The K doesn’t.

I spent this past summer involved in a study on Joe Feldman’s book Grading for Equity with 55 secondary teachers and administrators in my district in Sonoma, California. One of the practices discussed in the book that is an easy one to defend and implement is this idea of redefining the zero.

Many of my experienced colleagues are rethinking their use of the zero because they’ve seen the stark reality of what it takes to overcome a K. I encourage you to think philosophically about what you want your grading practices to encourage and convey to students. Are your grades an accurate reflection of what a student knows? Do your grading practices align with your teaching philosophies? Discussing my grading practices with colleagues was one of the best professional development exercises I have undertaken in 19 years.

Pushback Is Common but Manageable

The biggest pushback I have gotten from my colleagues has been related to the reporting of the redefined floor of 50 in the online grade book to parents and guardians. I agree that it’s confusing for a parent to see that an assignment is missing but at the same time the student received a “7/14.” The online grade book exacerbates the issue of “I don’t want to give them something for nothing.”

At my school site, there is no way around this, so we have to clearly communicate the rationale to parents with conversations or grade book comments, which is a good thing. However, this also unveils a bigger issue that can be raised with school administrators: reevaluation of our institutional systems to allow for a reimagined grading scale that is more mathematically sound and accurate.

I encourage you to find some like-minded and also some not-like-minded teachers and/or administrators and try this grading method. It makes you really have to defend your practices or develop new ones that might be contrary to what you experienced as a student.

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• Academic Success

What’s the big deal if I don’t do an assignment or lab?

• Northwestern
• January 14, 2015

Taking an online course seems so much easier than trekking to campus every week to sit in class, but it isn’t! Without dedicated classroom time, you are always pressured to “carve out” time from your busy schedule to get your work done in each class that you are taking. Online students must have a lot of self-discipline to make sure that each week they set aside time to go online and get their work completed.

One area that can trip up even strong students is when an assignment is missed and you think “That’s no big deal, I have an A average already”. But missing even one assignment can wreck your grade average for that category. For example, in one online class we had a special project that involved recording a job interview. Some students completed it quickly, but others had delays due to finding time to meet with their interviewer, or they had issues with the technology. Those students got a zero on the assignment because they failed to turn anything in on time.

Three students with a high “A” average then had low “C” averages with the missing assignment. For example: before the missing assignment a student’s grade average was 95 for the assignment category, but with a zero for the missing assignment, the grade average dropped to 77. That is a two letter grade drop just from missing one assignment.

Assignments, labs, and discussion boards are things directly under your control – you pick the time to complete it, and you have resources to use to complete the work. It is important to maintain high averages in those areas you do control in order to give you a cushion for a quiz or exam score that may not be as great as you wish.

Discussion board postings are another category where students may not realize the impact of not doing the weekly work. In an online course, the discussion board postings are the equivalent to raising your hand and participating in class. Which means this category is time sensitive and if you miss it – you can’t make up the work.

So how much are those discussion board posts worth to your final grade? You can see the categories of grading by looking at the syllabus for the class. In the syllabus it will indicate what type of work will be graded and the “weight” of that category. For example, if a discussion board category is given a weight of 25% that means that all your work in discussion board postings will be averaged, and that final score then represents ¼ of your final grade! The larger the weighted percent, the bigger the impact that category will have on your final grade.

Patt Peterson, HIT Online Program Coordinator

Effects of Missing Assignments on Middle School GPA

Middle school is more than just a transitional phase between elementary and high school. It’s a critical period where foundational skills and attitudes toward learning are solidified. Academic performance during these years can significantly impact a student’s future, setting the stage for high school and even college opportunities.

The focus of this article is to dissect a specific but essential aspect of academic life: the effects of missing assignments on middle school GPA.

Why should you care? Missing assignments can do more than just lower a grade for a particular class; they can have ripple effects that impact a student’s overall Grade Point Average (GPA), emotional well-being, and even their future educational prospects.

We’ve organized this article into several key sections to give you a comprehensive understanding. We’ll explore what GPA is and why it’s vital in middle school, delve into the reasons why students might miss assignments, and discuss the direct and indirect consequences of such actions.

We’ll also provide practical solutions for students, parents, and educators looking to mitigate these effects.

Whether you’re a concerned parent, an educator seeking solutions, or a student wanting to understand the repercussions of missed assignments, this article has something for everyone. So, let’s embark on this educational journey to understand better how missing assignments could be the hidden iceberg, silently denting your middle school GPA.

Common Reasons for Missing Assignments in Middle School

When it comes to missed assignments, one might quickly jump to conclusions, labeling students as lazy or unmotivated. However, the reasons are often more complex and multifaceted. Understanding these factors is crucial for parents, educators, and the students themselves. Here are some of the common reasons for missing assignments in middle school:

Table of Contents

Academic Challenges

The first obstacle many middle schoolers face is the academic rigor itself. Middle school is often a significant leap from elementary school in terms of workload and complexity. Students are exposed to various subjects, each with its own set of expectations and assignments.

This shift can be overwhelming, causing students to miss deadlines as they try to cope with the increased academic pressure.

Emotional and Psychological Factors

Adolescence is a turbulent period filled with emotional and psychological changes. The transition from childhood to adulthood brings about an array of emotions that can significantly impact a student’s ability to focus and complete assignments.

Emotional stressors such as friendship troubles, identity issues, or even instances of bullying can lead to missed assignments, affecting their GPA inadvertently.

Time Management Issues

Let’s be honest; time management is a skill that even many adults struggle with. Imagine a middle schooler juggling multiple subjects, extracurricular activities, and social commitments. Poor time management can easily result in missed assignments.

Students may have the best intentions but find themselves ensnared in a web of procrastination and last-minute rushes, which seldom yield quality work.

Family and Environmental Factors

Last but not least, the environment in which the student is raised can be a significant factor. Family issues, such as parental divorce, financial instability, or even lack of a quiet space to study, can make it exceedingly difficult for students to complete their assignments on time. Understanding the family dynamics involved can offer deeper insights into the issue at hand.

For educators and parents alike, understanding these factors can offer valuable insights into how to support students better and improve their academic performance.

Once you get to the bottom of why assignments are being missed, you can start looking for effective solutions, such as teaching students how to calculate GPA in middle school , helping them understand each assignment’s impact on their overall grades.

By identifying and addressing the root causes of missed assignments, stakeholders can create targeted interventions that not only prevent missing future assignments but also help improve a student’s overall middle school experience.

Direct Effects of Missing Assignments on GPA

Missing assignments in middle school is not just a matter of a reduced grade in a particular subject; it can have a broader, more significant impact on a student’s overall GPA. The implications can be both immediate and far-reaching. Let’s dive into the specifics:

Short-term Academic Consequences

In the short term, missing assignments can result in immediate grade reductions. Assignments often account for a significant portion of the grade for a course, meaning each missing assignment chips away at the overall grade.

This not only lowers the subject grade but also has an immediate impact on the overall GPA, affecting eligibility for honor rolls or other merit-based recognitions.

Long-term Academic Consequences

Over a longer period, the effects can be even more severe. Consistently missing assignments can result in academic probation or even course failure, necessitating summer school or grade repetition.

When it comes to applying for high schools or even college scholarships, a low GPA can severely limit a student’s options. Schools often consider academic performance a key indicator of a student’s ability to succeed in more rigorous settings.

Case Studies and Statistics Supporting the Claims

The effects of missing assignments on GPA aren’t just theoretical. Various case studies and statistics offer real-world evidence of how missing assignments can affect academic performance.

For example, a study conducted by the National Association of School Psychologists found that students who regularly submitted their assignments had, on average, a GPA that was 0.6 points higher than those who frequently missed assignments.

For students who want to get a grasp on their academic standing without getting into the complexities of weighted and unweighted scores, using a simplified GPA calculator without credits can offer a quick snapshot of their current GPA.

This way, they can understand the urgent need to turn in every assignment and its significance in the larger academic picture.

Understanding the direct effects of missing assignments provides critical insights for students, educators, and parents alike. It underscores the importance of being diligent with schoolwork and opens avenues for timely interventions.

Indirect Effects of Missing Assignments on Middle School GPA

While it’s essential to consider the tangible impact on GPA when assignments are missed, we mustn’t overlook the subtler, indirect effects.

These can include emotional and psychological stressors, social repercussions, and the potential for a downward spiral in academic performance. Let’s explore these less obvious but equally important consequences.

Emotional and Psychological Impact

The stress of missing an assignment can lead to emotional and psychological issues, which, in turn, affect academic performance. The failure to complete an assignment can introduce a fear of falling behind or not being “smart enough,” impacting the student’s overall well-being and self-esteem.

This emotional weight often compounds, making it increasingly difficult for students to catch up and meet future deadlines.

Social Repercussions

When a student frequently misses assignments and sees a drop in GPA, they may also experience social repercussions. Classmates and teachers may begin to view them as unreliable or less dedicated, affecting social dynamics and teacher-student relationships.

This, too, can contribute to an overall decline in academic performance, as students may become disengaged or isolated, reducing their willingness to participate in class or seek help when needed.

The Downward Spiral – How One Missed Assignment Can Lead to More

It’s essential to recognize that missing assignments can set off a chain reaction. One missed deadline can throw off a student’s schedule, making it harder to meet subsequent deadlines. This creates a snowball effect, as each missed assignment adds pressure and stress, leading to more missed assignments and, ultimately, a significantly reduced GPA.

Understanding the difference between weighted and unweighted GPAs can be enlightening for students concerned about how these missed assignments could affect their academic record. A weighted GPA takes into account the difficulty of the courses, while an unweighted GPA treats all classes the same.

Knowing this difference can help students and parents create a more informed strategy for course selection and assignment prioritization, offering a more nuanced view of how GPA is affected.

Understanding both the direct and indirect effects of missing assignments provides a holistic view of the issue. This comprehensive understanding enables educators, parents, and students to devise effective strategies to combat the problem, ensuring a more successful and less stressful middle school experience.

Practical Solutions and Recommendations

While understanding the challenges and consequences of missing assignments is vital, finding practical solutions is equally crucial. In this section, we aim to provide actionable recommendations for students, parents, and educators to address the issue effectively.

Tips for Improving Time Management

One of the significant reasons students miss assignments is poor time management. Here are some tried-and-true tips to improve this crucial skill:

Create a Study Schedule: Having a dedicated timetable for homework and study can significantly reduce the likelihood of forgetting or delaying assignments.

Use Digital Tools : Apps like to-do lists or study planners can send reminders, making it less likely to miss deadlines.

Prioritize Tasks : Not all assignments have the same level of difficulty or require the same amount of time. Learning to prioritize can ensure that more critical or challenging tasks don’t get left behind.

Break it Down: For longer or more complex assignments, breaking them into smaller, manageable tasks can make them less intimidating and easier to complete on time.

Communication Strategies between Parents and Teachers

Effective communication between parents and teachers can play a significant role in helping students meet their academic responsibilities.

Regular Check-ins: Scheduled parent-teacher meetings can be instrumental in keeping track of a child’s academic performance.

Open Channels : Utilizing emails or dedicated communication platforms can help in conveying urgent issues and immediate concerns about a student’s performance or missed assignments.

Action Plans : Collaboratively develop an action plan to address missed assignments, thereby providing the student with a clear pathway to improvement.

Remedial Courses and Tutoring Options

Sometimes, the root cause of missed assignments is a lack of understanding of the subject matter. In such cases, additional educational support can be invaluable.

School Programs : Many schools offer after-school remedial programs that can help students catch up on missed content or reinforce learning.

Private Tutoring : Hiring a tutor can be a worthwhile investment for more personalized attention.

Online Courses : Various platforms offer topic-specific courses that can assist in clarifying concepts and improving academic performance.

Implementing these practical solutions can not only help in reducing the number of missed assignments but can also contribute to an overall improvement in GPA and academic well-being. The key is identifying and addressing the root issue with the appropriate strategies and support.

Is it Possible to Recover your GPA After Missing Multiple Assignments?

The quick answer is yes, but it will take concerted effort and strategic planning. Missing multiple assignments can significantly impact a middle school student’s GPA, but recovery is indeed possible. Students need to prioritize future assignments, perhaps dedicating extra study sessions or seeking additional support from teachers and parents.

Many schools offer retake or makeup opportunities that can help recover some lost points. Also, the further along a student is in their educational journey, the less impact a single grade has on the overall GPA, giving students the chance to bounce back if they make a focused effort.

How Do Educators Handle Missing Assignments?

Teachers and educators have different methods for handling missing assignments, varying from school to school and even from class to class. While some may offer grace periods or partial credit, others might implement a strict no-late-work policy.

It’s crucial for students and parents to understand these policies at the beginning of the academic year to avoid any surprises. Open communication with educators can often provide tailored solutions for unique circumstances, such as extensions or extra-credit opportunities.

Can Extra-Curricular Activities Compensate for a Lower GPA?

Extra-curricular activities are undoubtedly valuable, offering skills and experiences that go beyond the classroom. However, they rarely can fully compensate for a low GPA when it comes to academic evaluations.

While activities like sports, arts, or volunteer work can make a student more well-rounded and appealing to future schools or employers, the GPA still holds significant weight.

That said, a strong portfolio of extra-curricular activities might provide some cushioning against the negative effects of a lower GPA, especially if the student can demonstrate leadership, dedication, or exceptional skills in these areas.

The ripple effects of missing assignments in middle school can extend far beyond the immediate academic moment. As we’ve explored, the impact is multifaceted, directly influencing a student’s GPA in the short and long term.

But the consequences are not merely academic; they seep into emotional well-being and social interactions, creating a cycle that can be challenging to break.

The subject matter should not be brushed off as a mere phase or rite of passage in a student’s life. It is a pivotal issue that calls for a concerted effort from students, parents, and educators alike.

Understanding the gravity of this issue is the first step toward constructive change. Knowledge arms you with the tools to make informed decisions, whether you’re a student contemplating skipping an assignment, a parent concerned about your child’s academic performance, or an educator seeking to understand the root cause of low-class performance.

It’s not just about the numbers on a report card; it’s about setting the foundation for academic success and life skills like responsibility, time management, and self-discipline.

In facing this challenge, being proactive rather than reactive is the key. This approach ranges from implementing robust time management strategies to fostering open lines of communication between parents and teachers.

It could also mean seeking extra educational support when needed. We’ve discussed several actionable steps that can make a meaningful difference, and the onus is on each one of us to adapt and apply these solutions to our unique circumstances.

In conclusion, missing assignments are not a simple problem, nor do they have a one-size-fits-all solution. They are a pressing issue that requires understanding, attention, and, most importantly, action.

Let this article serve as a guide and a call to action for everyone involved in the academic journey of middle school students. Let’s work collectively to turn the tide, improving not just individual GPAs but the broader landscape of middle school education.

Related Posts

Middle School GPA and Extracurricular Activities?

Difference Between Weighted and Unweighted GPA in Middle School

What Is a Good GPA for a Middle School Student?

About the author.

Peter Watson

Meet Peter Watson, the Brain behind MiddleSchoolGPATool.com John is a seasoned educator, data enthusiast, and the founder of MiddleSchoolGPATool.com. With over a decade of experience in academia, John recognized the critical gap in accessible and reliable GPA tools specifically tailored for middle school students. Thus, MiddleSchoolGPATool.com was born.

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Give Fs for Missing Grades Instead of Zeros

Because of the way averages work, it's hard to overcome a zero..

Posted September 30, 2022 | Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster

• Report card grades should measure students' overall performance and knowledge.
• When calculating a grade by averaging performance, more extreme values are weighted more heavily than those close to the mean.
• Because grades typically run from A to F (100 to 50), giving students a zero for a missed assignment significantly affects their grade.
• Assigning a 50 instead of a zero penalizes missed assignments but balances the possibility of bringing a grade up.

Report card grades are supposed to measure how well students have performed in class.

• Performance is a construct: What we are trying to measure.
• Report card grades are measures: They mean to capture the construct.

If grades are valid , people with high grades will perform better than those with lower grades. Although we hope that grades also reflect learning–people who learned more have higher grades–we know that's not always true. Being sick, having a chaotic home that makes it hard to do homework or study, or reading ability can all affect grades differently than they affect learning.

Measures of Central Tendency

Report card grades typically reflect central tendencies. Measures of central tendency are intended to be a single number (or grade) that captures the full construct (performance). A report grade usually captures several different assignments, which often vary.

Psychologists use three indicators of central tendencies–the mean, the median, and the mode. Each minimizes a different type of error.

• The mode is the most common value. In the figure below, students have five grades: a 75, three 85's, and a 95. If you had to guess what grade someone got on an assignment and said "85," you'd be wrong fewer times (have less error) with that guess than by guessing anything else.
• The median is the value that is in the middle of the distribution. If you use "85" to reflect how well a student did, you are wrong by 10 points for their 75, by 0 points for all three 85's, and you're wrong by 10 points for that 95 they got. In other words, your summed error is 20. The median minimizes summed error.
• The mean or average is when we take all the numbers in a distribution, add them together, and divide by how many numbers there are. Have you ever considered why that is a good measure of central tendency? What the average does is minimize summed squared error. So your "error" for a mean of 85 and a grade of 75 is 10. For 85, it is zero, and for 95, it is 10. The squared error is thus 10 2 + 0 2 + 0 2 + 0 2 + 10 2 : 200. No number will give you a smaller summed square error than the mean.

Because you are squaring errors to determine the mean, it is sensitive to outliers (sensitive to values far from the center). That's why many of us were taught always to use means unless a distribution was very lopsided .

When a distribution is lopsided, you have large errors. When you have large errors in lopsided distributions, most of us were taught that's when you use medians. In other words, means are the standard because they are the 'fairest'. Medians were invented to fix this unusual problem means have. That's not actually the case. Medians minimize error. Means minimize BIG errors. We are weighting large errors by squaring them and moving the mean until we find the number that does that best.

I understand means, medians, and modes. What’s that got to do with giving zeros for missing assignments?

In the figure above, if you calculate a report card grade using the mean, median, or mode all, you will get the same grade–an 85 or B.

Let's look at what happens if a student misses an assignment, and the teacher uses an average to compute their grade.

In this example, the students got 85s on the first four assignments. What happens on Assignment 5?

• Student 1 got an 85 on Assignment 5 and earned their expected 85.
• Student 2 aced it! They got a 100, raising their grade from an 85 to an 88 (a three-point gain).
• Student 3 did poorly on Assignment 5, earning a 60. This dropped their report grade by five points to an 80.

All of these changes are more or less what we expect.

But now look at Student 4, who missed the last assignment. They were assigned a zero. This dropped them a full 17 points (from 85 to 68).

Notice that doing as well as possible–getting a 100 like Student 2–can only raise your grade by three points. However, doing as poorly as possible– skipping the assignment–drops your grade by 17 points.

Why? Because averages are very sensitive to outliers. One hundred is only 15 points higher than the average of the first four grades. It is relatively close to the central tendency. On the other hand, a zero is a full 85 points lower. It has a very large error, and the average has to move a lot to minimize the sum squared error.

That's because the functional range of grades is not zero to 100. No teacher I've ever seen has a class with an average of 50 and a range from zero to 100. Instead, most teachers hope for an average of perhaps 85. In reality, grades go from F (a 50) to A+ (100). That's the functional range for grades.

What if we assigned the lowest grade in the functional range for missing assignments instead of a zero?

As I wrote in the beginning, grades are meant to assess performance. What would happen if we assigned a solid F for missing grades? In other words, what if we assigned 50s for missing grades instead of zeros? Look at the last column, with Student 5. When assigned a 50, Student 5's grade drops seven points after the last assignment–from an 85 to a 78. That's a significant penalty but not insurmountable.

Is assigning students 50s for missing grades instead of zeros fair? Let's look at the students. The student who got four Bs and a D (Student 3) would earn an 80 on their report card (B-). The student who got four Bs and missed the last assignment and got a 50 for it (Student 5) would earn a 78 (C+). Had that student's teacher followed the more standard practice of assigning a zero for the missing assignment, they would have earned a 68 (D+).

Deciding how to calculate grades needs to reflect the teacher's belief about which grade best reflects the student's performance. It needs to be consistent across students–unbiased. But given the functional range of grades 50 to 100, there is an argument to be made that counting missing assignments as 50s produces fairer grades than assigning them zeros.

Nancy Darling, Ph.D. , is a professor of psychology at Oberlin College.

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Never Miss Another Assignment: 3 Tips to Manage Your Academic Work

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As a college student, have you ever totally missed an assignment due date and forgot to turn it in? Do you struggle with procrastination at times? In high school my grades weren’t nearly as good as the grades I’ve made in college. What do I owe my 3.85 GPA in college to? Staying on top of my work and assignments! I found that being constantly reminded of my upcoming assignments allowed me to have no choice but to stay completely on top of them.

To avoid being slapped into confusion and sadness by an unexpected assignment, make sure you expect that assignment! Here are 3 simple tips that will allow you to stay on top of due dates and assignments and allow your GPA to soar!

Syllabus meets Planner

We all know about the helpful guide that is given to us by our professors during the first week of class. Instead of just skimming through it and never referring back to it, plug all important due dates and deadlines into your planner as soon as you get your syllabi .

For bigger assignments or assignments that I have a little bit more time to work on and/or study for—assignments such as research papers, projects, exams, etc.— I like to put those due dates within the Calendar section of each month my courses are in. For example, here’s a page from the monthly section of my planner from last year. Notice how the majority of the assignments listed are larger assignments such as tests and papers. I do include some smaller assignments, such as homework assignments and discussion boards, but I mainly just focus on larger assignments within the full month calendar parts of my planner.

For smaller, weekly assignments, I simply put them under the day of the week I was assigned them, as shown here. You can see here how most of the assignments in the weekly parts of my calendar include only the work that needs to be completed for that week. Most of these assignments include homework assignments and studying for quizzes/tests that I have during that week. 

Post them, post them…EVERYWHERE!

We all know about sticky notes, but I don’t think they are used enough by college students. I love sticky notes because I can put them anywhere, anytime in order to remind myself of the assignments I have so that I can stay on top of them. Post sticky notes of little reminders for your assignments on your desk, wall, computer/laptop, notebook/planner cover, and once you have completed and/or turned in the assignment depicted on the sticky note, crumple up the sticky note and throw it away. Ahhhhhhh ….how satisfying!

Program upcoming deadlines and due dates in your phone calendar

We are always on our phones, so why not have a notification pop up here and there to remind you to stay on top of your work!  I love using the calendar on my iPhone in order to remind me of important due dates. Whether between classes or work, I am forced to see the alerts for the due dates of my upcoming assignments, which allows me to stay on top of them.

Without using these tips, I don’t know where I would be in college. They have helped me so much within my academic career, so much so that I just had to share them with you all. I believe that if you incorporate these tips, you’ll never forget or miss another assignment!

About the author

Sara Powell

Sara Powell is a student at Old Dominion University where she is also a Pearson Campus Ambassador. Sara is majoring in Communications with minors in Dance and Marketing. In her free time, Sara enjoys hanging out with her friends, spending time with her family, participating in community service, dancing, and eating—she is a self-proclaimed foodie! Sara is also a natural hair enthusiast and she aspires to be a Brand Manager for a natural hair-care company after graduation.

Sara is a Pearson Student Insider. To learn more about the program and apply, click here .

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So, you missed a class here’s what to do next.

An unexcused absence from class can be a big deal in high school. On top of missing lessons, in-class assignments, and pop quizzes (amongst other things), you might face disciplinary action, or the absence could impact your grade.

In college, things work differently. Knowing how to handle an absence in college comes down to understanding the attendance policy of each of your classes , as they might vary, and then figuring out how to stay on top of coursework if you do miss a class.

Here’re a few tips in case you need to navigate this in college.

Know the attendance policies of your classes

Each professor treats attendance differently, and they might even treat it differently depending on what class they’re teaching. Your professor will likely provide insight into their attendance policy on the first day of a class, and that policy is also likely to be outlined in the class’ syllabus. Your syllabus might even include what to do if you miss a class. It’s best to review these policies to know what to expect throughout the semester. Take note of what each professor expects in the event of your absence. If they require an email, you’ll want to send them one as soon as possible.

Beyond knowing the attendance policies of your individual classes , get familiar with any overarching attendance policies your college might have, too.

When to contact your professor if you miss a class

In most cases, contacting your professor isn’t necessary if you miss one class. However, if you’re in a class that relies heavily on attendance as part of your grade, and you were absent, it doesn’t hurt to reach out. If it’s a class that relies on attendance as a part of your grade, providing a legitimate reason for your absence, like a doctor’s note, could potentially help, too.

Not all classes make attendance a part of your grade, though, and in those cases, you should assess the kind of class you missed to decide what to do next. You likely don’t need to contact your professor if you missed a large lecture class. On the other hand, missing a smaller seminar class might warrant a quick note to your professor.

Reach out to your classmates if you miss a class

While you might not need to contact your professor if you miss a class, you should consider reaching out to a classmate or two. They can share any notes, handouts, or assignments you might’ve missed and keep you on track. Make it known that you’ll return the favor if they ever need help down the line.

Catch up on any missed work

While missing a class here and there isn’t likely to impact your grades, missing assignments absolutely will. You want to make sure that even if you miss a class here and there that you’re turning assignments in on time (this might be even more important in college than it is in high school).

If you missed an assignment or a pop quiz because you missed a class , reach out to your professor or a teaching assistant to see if there’s any way to catch up on the missed work or if there’s any way to do an extra credit assignment.

Final thoughts

Missing a class isn’t usually as big of a deal in college as in high school. However, some professors incorporate attendance into how they grade students. If that‘s the case, go the extra mile to communicate with your professor if you miss a class. 

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Should Late Work Affect Student’s Grades?

Lucca Swain , Staff Writer | November 19, 2021

Every student almost certainly knows the feeling that accompanies missing assignments; a sinking dread mixed with stinging guilt and the frantic, fearful thoughts of falling grades. It only hurts more to check Infinite Campus and see that one’s grade HAS gone down because of that one slip-up. But it’s not as though the student did anything deserving of that punishment. They aren’t being penalized for doing a problem incorrectly or for not showing their work. The student simply didn’t turn in an assignment. This begs the question; should late work hurt grades, despite the purpose of the grading system being to judge how well a student is learning, and not on how quickly they can turn in an assignment?

On one hand, penalizing students for late work is counterintuitive to grading and gives the grading system a confused identity. Is it for gauging a student’s learning ability or judging their aptness at turning work in on time? The question becomes frustrating the more one thinks about it. 

Another similar problem with punishing students for late work is that it overtakes the actual learning and makes students too focused on turning the assignments in on time. Most students only seek to complete the homework they’re given for a grade, not for the sake of learning, which leads to mindless working with no objective other than finishing the work given, even if that involves cheating.

 This is especially true for students who consistently struggle to finish assignments on time. Suppose a student is trying to cram as much homework as they can at the last second. In that case, they’re going to be using any methods necessary to get that work done as fast as possible, whether it be SparkNotes or online calculators so that they can be prepared for a quiz or test. According to one study by Stanford University , ⅔ of students have reported cheating on exams, while 9/10 have reported copying another’s homework.  Almost no learning is happening during an intense cramming session, and the only thing driving that student forward is probably the thought of seeing no missing assignments in their Infinite Campus. Of course, this could all lead to a bigger discussion about issues with the grading system in general, but late work is a significant contributor to many of those problems.

On the other hand, though, there are benefits to the concept of late work. Helping students develop a habit, no matter what it is, is a good practice. The habit of turning in homework may also help with future jobs. Many jobs assign work and expect it to be done by a specific deadline, and the practice of homework helps prepare for that, although that’s dependent on what the job is. This entire argument also begs the question; what would schools do without the concept of late work? Would students turn in work whenever they feel? Is it fair to the students who turn their assignments in on time? So many questions to answer, all of which make the conversation of late work a tough one.

To summarize, late work is both overly-prioritized and needed. Teachers and the overall education system treat turning in assignments late as a sin and pressure students to the point where they focus more on the sheet of paper in front of them rather than its contents and will cheat to get it done fast and easy. But at the same time, using bad grades as a threat is a good way to incentivize students to do work and develop good habits. There is no simple answer to whether late work is necessary or not, and it definitely isn’t getting answered any time soon.

Lucca Swain is a senior writer for The Owl and is currently in his third year of working for the publication. Lucca joined The Owl because he loves writing about and exposing readers to the topics and ideas that fascinate him, and this year he is extra committed to furthering that goal, despite how challenging it can be. In his free time, Lucca enjoys reading, listening to music, and exercising. Lucca also is also a firm believer that green grapes are superior to their purple brethren in every way, especially in flavor and texture.

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Tracking Missing Assignments For Students and Guardians

Published: April 18, 2023

As the end of the school year approaches, students need to get their missing assignments turned in. Not only does this help their overall grade—most class grades depend in part on assignment completion and grades—but completing more assignments helps students’ comprehension as well. Sure, some homework is “busy work”, but certainly not all. 

We talk a lot at Schoolytics about how teachers can handle missing assignments , including how to engage parents in their communications around missing work. 

But the student and family side is just as important, if not more so. Indeed, teachers only have so much influence over what students do between 3pm and 8am. 

Gaps in the student experience in Google Classroom

Students can see their missing assignments in Google Classroom. Helpfully, missing assignments from all classes are listed. 

However, the lack of search functionality (“Didn’t I have an assignment about the Pythagorean Theorem that I missed while I was out sick?”) is a real barrier to finding assignments to work on.  The inability to sort by anything other than date is too restrictive. This constraint, combined with the groupings for “This week”, “Last week”, and “Earlier”, makes the missing assignments view clunky. 

In addition, the “View all” expansion button is easily missed, especially for parents who are not familiar with the interface, leading some students to incorrectly conclude that they have only five missing assignments. 

What students really need is support with time management and prioritization skills (all part of executive functioning ). This manifests as understanding how to choose which missing work to tackle first and why.  When faced with dozens of missing assignments, where do you start? 

Perhaps they want to do assignments that are worth a lot of points.  Perhaps they need to ignore assignments due before a specific date because their teacher stopped accepting late work. Unfortunately, these filtering and sorting aids are not available in Google Classroom.

But students can get very granular with missing assignments in Schoolytics .  Sorting, filtering, and ranking are all possible.

In addition, Schoolytics gives students insights into their aggregate data, so they can see how they’re faring more generally.  This also helps them to see more clearly how they are progressing across all of their classes, and prioritize their time accordingly. 

Options for Guardians

Because Google Classroom lacks a robust parent experience , guardians have additional challenges in tracking missing assignments for their children. The guardian summaries are somewhat helpful, but are not clickable and only give parents a brief snapshot into what was missed over a period of time. There needs to be a summary of the severity of the problem.  Parents tend to ignore them for lack of actionable information.  

In Schoolytics, we focus on summarizing and distilling the information down so that guardians can know at a glance whether their child is significantly behind or just has a few things to hand in. And they can see all of their children in one view, thereby saving a lot of time trying to log in and out of Google Classroom accounts. Parents can set alerts, which are similar to summary emails, to keep tabs on missing work.

Thousands of parents, guardians, students, and educators use Schoolytics to unlock a deeper understanding of missing assignments. Want to learn more or share Schoolytics with your district? Get in touch with us today!

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Frequently Asked Questions: Missing Grades

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Missing Assignments Grades

Missing final grades, residency grades.

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If you are missing a grade for an assignment, please contact your instructor directly. Instructors will generally give you a guideline for their grading timeline. Your instructor will be able to advise if the assignment was not received or if they are still in the process of grading the materials.

If you are missing a final grade for a course or a residency and it has been longer than 10 business days after the last day of class, please contact your Student Success Advisor with information about which course/residency you are missing a grade in and when the course took place.

Residency grades will not be posted within the residency classroom. Instead, they will be posted directly to your account and will be available in your Final Grades section of your myWalden portal.

1. To determine the grade for your residency, log into your myWalden portal .

2. Once logged in, go to the ME  tab. On the ME tab menu, select the My Education section.  At My Education, select View  Final Grades on the left-side of the page.

3. From the drop-down menu on the following page, select the term in which your residency took place and hit Submit .

4. The following page should list the residency’s grade, along with any other grades you may have earned for a course during that term. Please note : Residency grades are either Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U).

If you have any questions about your grade for a residency, please contact Academic Residencies .

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How to Finish All Your Missing Assignments Fast; 8 Useful Tips

When you do not submit or complete assignments on time you are faced with the challenge of missing assignments. It can be hard to keep track of all your missing assignments when they pile up but don’t worry.

First, talk with your teachers about the assignments you failed to submit and ask for a deadline extension. Then, make a plan for how to handle your work, putting the most important tasks first. Take breaks, treat yourself, and keep a good attitude to get more done. It’s not easy to make up for the schoolwork you missed, but if you’re organized and have a plan, you’ll be better able to handle whatever comes your way.

It is a daunting situation, and without the right approach, you may end up not finishing your missing assignments which will affect your overall grade. Here are critical steps that can help you finish all your missing assignments fast.

1.   Create a list of all missing assignments

When working on missing assignments, you are more likely to pick the easier assignment first and forget about the tough assignments. Making a list of all your assignments helps to make sure you complete all missing assignments.

List all the missing assignments that need to be done; even if you have to re-read notes, all these tasks must be included in the list. Tick off the tasks after completion to keep you motivated.

2.   Create a detailed timetable

A timetable helps you plan your tasks. Assign all your missing assignments time. Schedule more time for the tough assignments. Remember you are on a deadline, so whatever time you estimate an activity might take, reduce it by at least 5 to 10 minutes. You have to be ruthless and, at the same time, realistic when coming up with a timetable.

3.   Gather all assignment materials

After listing all the missing assignments, you will have an idea of all the required materials. You must gather all the necessary tools, such as laptops and writing materials. By doing this, you ensure that you will not have to take breaks now and then to fetch something leading to time wastage. If you are the type of person who concentrates better on music in the background, this can be a great time to choose a studying playlist.

4.   Switch off your devices

You must turn off all the gadgets not needed to do the assignments. These may include phones and tablets. You need to find a place with minimal distraction to enable you fully concentrate on the task at hand.

Being destructed will cost you time which could have been used to finish your missing assignments. Therefore, you can choose to keep your devices in a different room and only use them when you are on break. You can use one of the breaks already programmed to check on your social media.

5.   Ask for Assignment help online

If you’re thinking “I need help with my missing assignments” and want to finish homework fast, don’t avoid getting help. There are fast writers online who will help you with your assignments – for a small price of course.

Remember that your mental health has a big effect on how much you get done. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to finish your assignment faster if you are tired or stressed out. Assignment help experts will relieve you of your missing assignments stress.

6.   Reward yourself after finishing a missing assignment

Doing assignments may be challenging. Our brains work better when there is a possibility of getting a reward. Rewarding yourself after finishing each assignment will motivate you to continue and improve your speed.

These rewards can be a few minutes of rest, eating a snack, playing games, or spending some time on social media. These rewards should be manageable, they should not be activities that will take much of your time.

7.   Avoid unnecessary breaks

Breaks are very important when doing any task, but you need to be disciplined and take breaks only when necessary to avoid wasting time. The best way to do this is by working in short sprints and taking at most a 5-minute break.

Remember, it is also not advisable to work continuously without a break. Your mind will be exhausted, and you will take longer to complete simple tasks.

To ensure you are disciplined, you need to have punishments in place if you don’t achieve your target. You can punish yourself by taking away break privileges when a task is not done as allocated.

8.   Stay positive and remember what is at stake

Apart from following these steps, the most important step to finishing all your missing assignments is having a positive mindset. You must remember what is at stake, which in this case, is your academic achievement. Having this in mind will act as a form of motivational tool whenever things seem impossible.

Is it bad to have missing assignments in college?

Yes, it is bad to have incomplete assignments. You can skip some assignments without getting into trouble with the faculty, but you will lose some credits. Some lecturers are lenient and will award you partial credit for late submission of assignments, while others will give you nothing. When you miss assignments and are in an upper-division class, be sure your grades will be negatively impacted. You may not get into trouble with the faculty for missing one or two assignments, but your grades might be affected in the long run.

Do missing assignments affect your GPA?

Yes, missing assignments do affect your GPA. Missing assignments are usually given low or 0 marks which negatively impacts the grade, which is not a good thing for the student. You must maintain a GPA of 2.8 and above to have a good academic transcript. To remain competitive with the higher percentile range of students, you must have a 3.2 and above GPA score.

Can a professor drop you from a class for missing assignments?

Generally, a professor cannot drop you from a class because of missing assignments. However, this will also depend on your institution and its policy regarding missing assignments. Some lecturers are usually lenient and will pardon you for missing a few assignments, while others are stricter.

If you have any concerns about missing assignments, it is important to talk to your lecturer and understand their expectations and policies regarding missing assignments. If you are interested in getting the best results, you can contact your professor with genuine reasons why you missed the assignments and they might agree to give you partial credit that will assist in boosting your final grade.

Can I complete all my missing assignments in a day?

Yes, you can complete all missing assignments in a day. However, it will depend on the type and quantity of assignments you have. In most cases, it will be better to ask for more time instead of producing sub-standard work because of time.

Completing all missing assignments in a day will also require you to devise a good plan and implement it. You will have to stay away from any disruptions that may hinder your progress. Prior planning and communication with your lecturer will help you avoid situations whereby you have to complete a number of missing assignments within a day. You can ask for assignment help online if overwhelmed by deadlines.

Do missing assignments show up on transcripts?

No, missing assignments do not appear in your transcript; they only reduce your grades. Unlike cheating, missing assignments only affect total grades; therefore, it is better to have unsubmitted assignments than receive an “F” because of cheating. The only issue you will have on your transcript due to missing assignments is your GPA.

Can you graduate with missing assignments?

No, you cannot pass a class with missing assignments; therefore, you cannot graduate with incomplete assignments. To complete a course, some different assignments and tasks need to be completed, and failure to complete assignments will greatly affect your overall score.

Therefore, it is critical for a student to ensure that all assignments are completed and preferably on time. However, depending on the institution, you can graduate if the missing assignment didn’t greatly affect your final score.

Can a professor fail you for missing one assignment?

Not really, missing assignments will only impact your grade, and the lecturer has nothing to do with it. Most lecturers deal with several students and do not have time to deal with a particular student’s missing assignment. It is the responsibility of a student to make sure that all the assignments are completed. However, there are lecturers teaching units with few students; such lecturers have the time to follow up on individual students’ missing assignments. You need to know that even the lecturers that follow up on missing assignments will still deduct credit for a late submission.

It is completely the student’s responsibility to ensure no missing assignments. Professors do not fail students because of missing assignments because missing an assignment does not necessarily mean the student is performing badly; it might be because the student had a legitimate reason for not doing that assignment.

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The calculators above use the following letter grades and their typical corresponding numerical equivalents based on grade points.

Brief history of different grading systems

In 1785, students at Yale were ranked based on "optimi" being the highest rank, followed by second optimi, inferiore (lower), and pejores (worse). At William and Mary, students were ranked as either No. 1, or No. 2, where No. 1 represented students that were first in their class, while No. 2 represented those who were "orderly, correct and attentive." Meanwhile at Harvard, students were graded based on a numerical system from 1-200 (except for math and philosophy where 1-100 was used). Later, shortly after 1883, Harvard used a system of "Classes" where students were either Class I, II, III, IV, or V, with V representing a failing grade. All of these examples show the subjective, arbitrary, and inconsistent nature with which different institutions graded their students, demonstrating the need for a more standardized, albeit equally arbitrary grading system.

In 1887, Mount Holyoke College became the first college to use letter grades similar to those commonly used today. The college used a grading scale with the letters A, B, C, D, and E, where E represented a failing grade. This grading system however, was far stricter than those commonly used today, with a failing grade being defined as anything below 75%. The college later re-defined their grading system, adding the letter F for a failing grade (still below 75%). This system of using a letter grading scale became increasingly popular within colleges and high schools, eventually leading to the letter grading systems typically used today. However, there is still significant variation regarding what may constitute an A, or whether a system uses plusses or minuses (i.e. A+ or B-), among other differences.

An alternative to the letter grading system

Letter grades provide an easy means to generalize a student's performance. They can be more effective than qualitative evaluations in situations where "right" or "wrong" answers can be easily quantified, such as an algebra exam, but alone may not provide a student with enough feedback in regards to an assessment like a written paper (which is much more subjective).

Although a written analysis of each individual student's work may be a more effective form of feedback, there exists the argument that students and parents are unlikely to read the feedback, and that teachers do not have the time to write such an analysis. There is precedence for this type of evaluation system however, in Saint Ann's School in New York City, an arts-oriented private school that does not have a letter grading system. Instead, teachers write anecdotal reports for each student. This method of evaluation focuses on promoting learning and improvement, rather than the pursuit of a certain letter grade in a course. For better or for worse however, these types of programs constitute a minority in the United States, and though the experience may be better for the student, most institutions still use a fairly standard letter grading system that students will have to adjust to. The time investment that this type of evaluation method requires of teachers/professors is likely not viable on university campuses with hundreds of students per course. As such, although there are other high schools such as Sanborn High School that approach grading in a more qualitative way, it remains to be seen whether such grading methods can be scalable. Until then, more generalized forms of grading like the letter grading system are unlikely to be entirely replaced. However, many educators already try to create an environment that limits the role that grades play in motivating students. One could argue that a combination of these two systems would likely be the most realistic, and effective way to provide a more standardized evaluation of students, while promoting learning.

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How does using the missing assignment tag affect the grade average?

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Setting Automatic Grades for Missing Assignments in Canvas

If a student has not submitted an assignment and the due date has passed, you can either enter a zero in the Canvas Gradebook manually or you can have Canvas automatically assign a zero using a Missing Submission Policy.

It is important that every item in the Canvas Gradebook has a number or a value. If you do not enter a grade for an assignment, Canvas will ignore the assignment in their final grade calculation, resulting in an inaccurate, possibly inflated score. It is also important to enter any zeros immediately after the due date passes rather than at the end of the semester so that students’ grades are an accurate reflection of their current standing.

To use the Missing Submission Policy feature :

• Open your Canvas course and select Grades in the left-hand navigation.
• Click on the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner of the Gradebook. The Late Policies tab will now appear.
• Select “Automatically apply grade for missing submissions” and enter 0 in the field below.

Canvas will now automatically insert a zero into any missing assignment cell after a due date has passed. You can always override this score if you choose to accept a student’s assignment after the due date.

Setting a Missing Submission policy affects all assignments in a course, including assignments with due dates in the past. To exclude a specific assignment, mark the submission as something other than Missing in the Grade Detail Tray. Applying a missing submission policy will not affect previously graded missing submissions. See  How do I apply a Missing Submission policy in the Gradebook?  for more information.

Note that you can also use this feature to automatically apply deductions to late submissions.  See  How do I apply a Late Submission policy in the Gradebook?  for more information.

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Grade Calculator

Our Grade Calculator can help you determine what you need to get on your final exam to achieve the final grade you would like for a given course.

Do you know your Current Grade?

Fill in your assignment grades on the right to automatically calculate your Current Grade

Grade Needed on Final Exam

Please make sure all text fields are filled out.

Minimum Attainable Course Grade: 0%

Maximum Attainable Course Grade: 100%

Enter your assignment scores here to automatically calculate your current grade (e.g. midterms, homework, tests, labs, etc.)

Important Notes

You can use our grade calculator to calculate the final exam grade you will need to achieve the overall course grade you desire. Our calculator requires you to enter the current percentage grade you have currently obtained for that course together with the weight of the final exam as a percentage value. However, if you do not know what your current grade is, for the question "Do you know your Current Grade?" select the answer "no." Enter the grades you have received for all of your assignments, homework, test, labs, and anything else that contributes to your final grade, as well as the weight of each grade. Our grade calculator will automatically calculate not only your current grade but the grade you need to achieve on your final exam to achieve the overall course grade you desire. In addition, both the minimum and maximum course overall grades will be provided.

Once you have entered the information required, the system will generate both a table and a chart that show the different final exam grades you may obtain as well as the overall course grades that go with them.

Inputting Data in our Grade Calculator

When entering your current grade and the weight of your final exam, our calculator will assume that your current grade has been based on the weight of the course prior to your final exam and calculates it as the input weight subtracted from 100%. If your current grade hasn't taken your coursework into account, the generated results will not be accurate.

Similar to the above, if you don't know what your current grade is and you enter both the coursework grades and the associated weights into the calculator, the calculator will automatically calculate your current grade and the weight of the final exam. In this situation, the weight of your final exam is calculated by taking the sum of the weight of your course work subtracted from 100%. With that in mind, if you enter too many or not enough assignments, the weight of the final exam that is calculated will most likely not match the actual weight of the final exam in your chosen course.

You may also be interested in our Flesch Kincaid Calculator

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Missing assignments' affect on scores

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