After a very busy day, a student settles down to do their math homework. It is due in an hour but they know that if they submit it even a minute late, they’ll get 15 points deducted from their grade.
In the 2023-24 academic year, Coppell High School has implemented a new late grade policy. If an assignment is submitted one day late, 15 points are cut from the final grade, if it is submitted two days late, 30 points are deducted and any longer results in 50 points being deducted and a Friday Night Live, in which you must stay after school on a Friday to complete your missing work.
The final penalty for the late grade policies is the Friday Night Live (FNL). Assistant principal Jeremy Jordan said the late grade policy has mitigated the amount of students in FNL.
“The average number of students in FNL is 10-20, which is not bad considering the school has over 3,000 people,” Jordan said. “The policy is doing a good job keeping students to submit their work on time. However, FNL isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While some may have to attend FNL for incomplete assignments, if there’s a subject students are struggling with, there is tutoring available there.”
These policies were created in the best interests of staff and students. The intent is to motivate students to get their work done on time, but still have a chance to receive credit if they do not. This helps teachers grade assignments in an orderly fashion.
However, staff and students have varying opinions on these new policies.
Junior Aiden Song thinks that the new late grade policy should place more emphasis on the chance of unexpected circumstances delaying homework time.
“The late grade policies at CHS seem to strike a balance between maintaining academic standards and offering flexibility to students who may face genuine difficulties,” Song said. “While it’s important to encourage punctuality and responsibility, it’s also necessary to acknowledge that students can face unexpected challenges.”
Some students also struggle with carrying extracurricular activities at the same time as doing homework.
“In terms of turning in work and balancing activities, it can be hard to meet the late grade policies, and you have to sacrifice lots of sleep and free time to maintain them,” senior Riddhi Akilesh said.
However, some teachers are understanding if things come up for students.
“I do enforce the policy in all my classes, and I’m very particular about it,” English teacher Lauren Rasca said. “However, I am mindful of those situations. I apply the policy fairly, but not equally.”
Some students are wary about points being deducted from their assignments due to the late grades, therefore motivating them to complete the assignments on time.
“Several students are very motivated by grade, and Coppell is a very competitive school, so it could be a big motivation,” Rasca said. “With the amount of points that ends up being reduced, are we being punitive?”
Some staff members and students have concerns about whether or not the amount of points being taken off is too much.
“The late grade policies were created to give students opportunities to grow, in some districts kids get an automatic zero and that takes away the opportunity to grow,” Jordan said. “It’s designed so that Coppell students have an opportunity, but no hard zero. While the point deduction may seem harsh, at CHS there is still an opportunity to receive credit for assignments even though they are submitted late.”
Late grade policies provide teachers a confined time to finish grading assignments.
“I’ve worked at schools without late grade policies, it was a nightmare as students would turn in work from the first week of school during the last week of school,” Rasca said. “It was stressful for both students and teachers. Having some sort of rule for grading policies ensures that teachers don’t get overworked and work doesn’t pile up for students during the last minute.”
Students can also build skills of time-management through the late grade policy.
“It encourages students to prioritize their workload to avoid penalties,” Song said. “For those who rarely turn in work late, the impact is minimal, but for frequent late submissions, it can serve as a much needed push to develop better time management skills.”
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