There have been debates on what late work policy works best for students. The standard policy in the high school’s handbook is to deduct 50% of the assignment’s grade after the due date and 10% every day that it is late. Although that is the handbook policy, the administration leaves the choice up to teachers in their own policies. Nonetheless, many teachers have different policies that they have found work best for them. 

“Generally I don’t count off late work except for projects, which is a 10% deduction. What that means is, if students turn in assignments late, then they would receive the score if they would have turned it in on time, up until the end of the quarter,” Mariah Ramos, science teacher, said. 

Many students benefit from this if they have tight schedules and want to do the best work they can.

“Since I have a lot going on, it helps when I don’t get points taken off for turning something in late because I am super busy and I just didn’t have time for it,” Kaitlyn Ramey, 11, said.

Other teachers use the handbook policies, with some exceptions. 

“I think it’s effective, I think that I find myself trying to give some kids breaks sometimes because I know there are certain things that come up… So I just try to give people the benefit of the doubt when it is late,” Paige Husa, history teacher, said. 

Even though a teacher has a structured late policy, not all teachers think it’s most effective in their classroom.

“I think [allowing late work for full credit] is more effective in some way, but I just haven’t implemented it in my classroom yet,” Husa said. 

Although students may prefer a lenient late work policy, many wonder whether teachers actually see an improvement in grades. 

“My first couple years as a teacher, I did the standard 50% off. I have fewer F’s but overall the letter grades are pretty much the same as before with fewer F’s,” Ramos said.

Despite the fact that there aren’t any studies that show leniency improving students’ grades, it definitely helps students to balance life, school, and learn to prioritize.  Although some teachers might still use the standard handbook policy, it is important to let different teachers choose what is best for them and their classroom. This allows for better communication between teachers and students, an important skill for anybody to practice. Overall, a good and effective late work policy depends on the teacher and what they feel will be best for their classroom.