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Late Work Policy – N. Foster
This policy is in effect even if you are abducted by aliens. If a major assignment is due, you must get it to school when it is due.
Respect due dates: All essays are due at the beginning of the period on the due date. That means you must have them printed out by the time the bell rings for your class to begin on the due date. If you must print them once class begins, they are a day late.
Literary essays : All literary essays [exceptions: senior project research paper, “Friday” papers—literary papers are papers about literature, usually novels] will be due on Thursdays. I will take them for no deduction on Friday. If I do not get them on Friday, the grade is a 0 for all grades related to the assignment. If I get them during the next week, but before I have the rest of the class graded, I will raise the 0 to no more than 50 [highest grade possible] if the paper warrants it. After the week after the assignment is due or after I have the others graded and am ready to return them, whichever comes first, I will not give any credit for the assignment. See **. [If you are sick on Thursday, there is no penalty for turning it in on Friday. If you are sick BOTH days, you need to get it to school by the beginning of your class period on that second day.]
All literary essays and your research paper must be accompanied by a readable disk [cd, dvd, e-mail attachment] copy of the paper. That does NOT take the place of the paper copy [ever]. Both are due at the same time. If you e-mail your copy, it must be in my hands by the time the paper is due. I can’t help it that it didn’t get there; bring it on a disk or make certain it gets to my in-box in time. No disk copy = -25 points off one of the 3 grades. If it’s late, it’s just as if it were not there. Readable: see me in class. All students must know how to save a file in rich text.
“Friday” papers : Due on Friday, period. I will take them Monday for ½ credit. No credit after your class period begins on Monday. See ***.
General Policy
Daily grade assignments mostly come in on time or are not graded. We use them for what is going on at the time—making them up really doesn’t make up what we were doing. I drop a certain number [depending on how many we have] of daily grades [pop quizzes, little assignments I might assign, daily work in class that is checked, etc.—you may not always know what daily grades are coming up. There is really no substitute for being in class each day.] each marking period. If you are out sick for a day or two, hopefully any assignments you miss will be taken care of by your drops. If not, if you do not miss too many grades, it won’t hurt much. Daily grades are tiny grades. Too many, though, add up to a problem. Plus, they prepare you for the bigger grades.
**I will always look at assignments and let you know how you did on them. All you have to do is bring them by the room at the end of the day and sit with me while I read them. You must take care of these assignments you want me to see within a day or two of the assignment. I can’t remember weeks later what we were even working on for a small class assignment. You are not required to but may want to make an appointment. I am usually here after school for a good while, but occasionally must leave for some reason or I may have a meeting or a conference, so you cannot just assume I will be there because you come. Further, I will see students on a first come first served basis, with appointments first. “ I came by but you weren’t here” is pretty much the same as if you didn’t come by. If the light is on in the room, I’ll be back.
Literary essays [Jane Eyre paper, for example]: usually 3 test grades: content, grammar, format [Rarely they will count one test grade if I am really rushed, but you can almost always count on their being 3 test grades]
“Friday” papers: 1 test grade based mostly on content, but then lowered for a ridiculous number of errors or not following directions [e.g. an “essay” is not the same as a “paragraph”; should be written on the topic assigned].
Research paper: The average of the 3 grades equals ¼ of the exam plus 3 test grades on the marking period [really 4 with the prelims grade]. [Why? We spend a lot of class time on this one.]
Arriving in school after the class meets, or leaving for any reason before the class meets does NOT alter the due date. In other words, if an assignment is due and you are in school, and do not turn it in, to me personally, not to my mailbox, then I simply do not have it. If it is determined that you skipped class, I will give no credit for any assignment due. If you are in student management, the paper is due to me when it is due to me and if it is not there, it is not there. If you check in late and were not at school earlier in the day because of a good medical reason, if a paper was due earlier in the morning, to keep you from having to make a special trip, bring a note specifically written to me explaining why your paper is late and I will count it in on time that day [a parent note specifying why you were out or a note from the doctor's receptionist on some kind of official paper will work]. "Mary Sue was late with my permission" is NOT sufficient reason for me to take a late paper! "Mary Sue was out on personal business" is fine with me, but the paper will still be late. You need a medical reason, appointment type thing. "Mary Sue had a headache" results in a late paper [Try to imagine how many headaches I’ve had at work!]. See Literary essays above. Mary Sue was in court; you know about that way ahead of time; get the paper in before you’re absent.
You may be able to rewrite a paper within 3 to 4 days after receiving it graded to improve the grade provided that the original paper addressed and fulfilled the assigned topic or subject. Papers which do not address the assigned topic will be given a failing grade of some kind, perhaps a zero in some situations, and may not be rewritten. Note that the topic is explained in class clearly with every opportunity to ask questions. See me if you are interested in this privilege. Plagiarized papers will receive the grade of zero, and may not be rewritten.
Ask me about other assignments.
This is my policy, for which I do not apologize. Of course, none of this need apply to you...if you respect the due dates and complete the work as assigned.
Quite simple, actually.
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