Many students and teachers have had different opinions about Northeast’s late work policy implemented last year.
According to the LNE website, the late work policy is different for formative and summative assignments. Formative work is important for students to demonstrate responsible learning by completing missing coursework. Late coursework will be accepted without penalty until the end of the unit. Once coursework is turned in, each credit should be recorded. Work that is not turned in during the unit of study will be considered missing. The teacher or school may make exceptions depending upon student circumstances. For summative assessments, students have 10 school days from the due date to complete it. Assessments not completed within the 10 school days may receive no credit for that specified summative assessment.
Teachers and students at Northeast agree that the late policy can be beneficial. According to Samantha Russell, an English teacher here at Northeast, “the late policy is a good idea for students who are gone for a while get caught back up.” Junior Alyssa Bennett, says “students who are stressed can take their time to finish any summative assignments.” Stevan Borrego and Cole Meyer agree with that statement. Freshman Samantha Tate believes “the late policy encourages students to get assignments done.” Theresa Thompson, a history teacher, voiced her opinion as well. “It is beneficial for students who need extended time.” Mark Runyan, an administrator at LNE also says that having time frames is good for students. And lastly, Mr. Kurt Glathar added that he believes students have better grades when having this policy.
The late policy can also have a few negative effects on the students. Russell states that the late policy causes students not to take due dates seriously which causes assignments to be late. Bennett adds that students have no push to get it done, which makes students say they’ll finish “whenever.” Borrego believes it is negative because it gives students a reason to be lazy and manipulative towards their teachers. Meyer states that students are not pushed to get work completed. He also said it’s not beneficial for college. Thompson states that lack of structure for students is not good. “Students often push assignments back, and when they’re due, they don’t have the time nor motivation to get them done.” Glathar believes that the late work policy could be detrimental, especially if students don’t take the initiative to communicate with their teachers. Glathar also states that it does not have an impact on students who keep up with their work.
As for the late work policy, getting 10 days to complete summative assignments is good for students when needing to get caught up. On the other hand, many teachers can become too lenient and may even be inconsistent. This can lead to many students procrastinating various assignments. They often push things back, and it may leave them with more work at the end of the 10 days or unit to get their assignments completed.
After reviewing this information, is the late work policy a pro or a con for our students?
