Discussion Blog
as part of the Book Study
provided by
www.TransformYourClassroom.net
Friday, March 3, 2017
Blog Post 1:
How do you currently handle uncompleted work? Myron Dueck offers 3 strategies for addressing uncompleted work. How
could you implement one of these strategies with your own students?
We have an incentive for our high school students for our last period (homeroom/study hall) of the day. If they are not on the missing/incomplete list that is run at noon, they get to leave school early. It's only 30 minutes. But it pushes a lot of students to not be on the list. Now that being said, the program we use for grades does not show the students what they haven't turned in unless ignis marked as missing-and therefore a zero. Anytime an incomplete is marked, they have to jump through hoops to find it and we know THAT isn't going to happen. Now on top of the incentive to leave early, we do specific work days. Like Tuesday is Math day, so anyone with math assignments missing have to go to their math teachers room to work. Each subject has their own days to try to get those students. Now my own classroom...I teach math. I cant afford for kids to just not do assignments as math builds on itself. I NEED them to try every assignment. Also, I never got the point of a late policy were you take points off per day late...seems like waay to much work on my part LOL. So I accept late work until the end if the quarter. And due to our incentive program, its really only a few kids that have a consistent missing list. Usually do to ability. Of the strategies given, I align most with #1. I do homework every day...started in class and then finished on their own time if needed, but other than correcting the next day, they know they can hand in when they are done. But knowing they should have it done the next day but can finish it if needed in more time, does help them.
Working in the Special Education room, I do not have to handle uncompleted work for my own classes, but I do have students come to me from other classes with uncompleted work. I typically reteach if the student is struggling to understand or remember the concept and then I allow them to work independently while watching to make sure they understand the task. The strategy I could see implementing in my room the most is Strategy #1. I am able to provide intervention strategies for students for students when needed.
Currently I teach in the "Customized Learning" program at Harrisburg, so we generally are using a general due date instead of a specific due date. If students are absent or sick or just need a little extra time, they are not penalized for "late" work. They are, however, expected to make that time up in other assignments to stay "on pace" throughout the year. I have now implemented in order to take a test and get a grade, the are required to complete their work, so that has eliminated students from just skipping or not doing their work.
How do you currently handle uncompleted work? Myron Dueck offers 3 strategies for addressing uncompleted work. How could you implement one of these strategies with your own students?
I teach first grade and so it can be difficult to handle uncompleted work. What I see in my classroom is students not using independent work time to complete their assignments and with that, they are talking to peers, messing around etc. I handle those situations with students completing work during unstructured time where they get do free choice on their IPad or miss out on free choice Friday.
A strategy that I can implement with my students is matching consequences to behaviors.
Our school has a policy that implements a "no zero" practice. We have found in the past that many students are very content to "take a zero" rather than struggle through an assignment and not get it correct anyway. We put late/missing work on the "ICU" list that is visible to all the teachers. When students enter a room for study hall, the supervisor checks the ICU list and lets the students know if they have an assignment needing attention. We also use Saturday School once a month to encourage students to complete those missing assignments. This has its good attributes, and its bad. On the good side, students suddenly become very motivated to turn piles of work in that teachers have been waiting for. On the down side is the grading of all that work! Of course, there are students whose parents do not enforce their student's attendance at Sat. school. But for the most part, nobody wants to have to come to Sat School and they do get busy. (Hopefully, the work is satisfactory and does not need to be redone in the end.)
I am pondering the idea of not grading every homework assignment given and instead giving a quiz to check understanding. I have some students who pop to my mind that would make this situation a nightmare. They are "good" students - and therefore, they would take a five question quick quiz and spend 40 minutes (the entire class period) agonizing over each nuance and not able to just put their work down and move on. I suppose that every change in procedure has its growing pains and things to work through, but this one might be something to look into for me in my math classes!
When I was in the classroom, I handled uncompleted work with "incompletes" in the gradebook. However, for some students (I learned throughout the year) I needed to either have parent contact or there needed to be a "zero" in the gradebook for it to spark some interest in completing the assignments. Unfortunately, I also had to stay on many students and give multiple reminders that work was missing and needed to get completed. My team of teachers were also great at helping with this. Since I primarily taught math, it was labeled as one of the most important/must do firsts. We all had "work time" for 30 minutes at the end of every day and at this time, all the math students were to come into my room and work on late or missing assignments during this time. It was also beneficial because I would have a para in the room as well, so if students needed extra support with questions, there were two of us to help out with this.
I really do like the idea of the late or incomplete assignment form. This is beneficial to my 6th grade students because they are also being held accountable for their reasoning. It does give flexibility to when they are able to get their work done as well. I also like this because as 6th graders, they all aren't necessarily willing to be open about issues that may be preventing them from getting work done, they are more willing to write about it on a piece of paper and hand it to you.
One of the main strategies I use in my self-contained class is giving them work time to work on our assignments (independent work) at the end of the day. In my self-contained classroom, we focus on meeting our objectives and goals. However I want my students to be an independent as possible, so we are working on doing independent activities at the end of the day. They are able to pick the subject-which is building independence and self-advocacy. They know they must get all of their independent work finished by the end of the week with a visual.
Our UE/MS has "flex time" in during the lunch period. If they have 3 or more assignments missing, they are to come in to work with a teacher as opposed to going out for recess or doing an enrichment activity. It has helped our school greatly in making sure that students are getting the support they need to finish their work.
I'll be honest in stating I have a bad habit of putting an "M" in the gradebook for missing assignments which equates to a zero for the student. I can see now how this is a disservice to the students. By not allowing them adequate time to complete the assignment and the grade is not a true representation of their skill level. I can instead put an "I" for incomplete. This will not hurt the students grades and is a true reflection of how the student is performing on the content they have actually covered.
I did also like the idea of having a two tiered testing system. I currently have something similar, but I think a concrete two tiered testing system is fair for everyone who missed the original testing day. Expectations will be the same for all students which in turn makes it less stressful for me.
Since I teach Second Grade we do not have a lot of missing or uncompleted work. I follow our school grading system which is the traditional scale. This book has really caused me to pause and reflect on how much better a 4 point system would be. One of the things I would implement would be the Incomplete Form. This gives students a chance to let teachers know if there are any outside circumstances affecting them. This in turn builds their relationship which then motivates the student to perform well.
Generally, if the work is completed in a few days, I don't impose a grade penalty. If a student needs to spend extra time to complete the assignment, it usually comes down to spending time with me during a recess or after school. I do like the idea of the late assignment form. Sometimes as educators we are not aware of mitigating factors that affect the student's ability to complete assignments. It would act as a good communication tool for educators and parents. I have used time spans for assignments and do get some early submissions. I can also check-in with students and make sure they are progressing and help with any issues that arise in understanding the expectations.
I teach Early Childhood Special Education, where students typically do not turn in traditional assignments, the third strategy—prioritizing evidence of learning—is especially meaningful. Rather than viewing work as “unfinished,” the focus shifts to whether the child has demonstrated the targeted skill in another context.
For example, if a child does not complete a fine motor worksheet, I could observe whether they demonstrate similar skills during playdough activities, block building, or painting. I would document mastery through anecdotal notes, photos, or informal check-ins rather than requiring completion of the original task. This approach maintains high expectations while honoring developmental differences, reduces frustration, and aligns with play-based instruction and IEP goals by emphasizing authentic skill demonstration over task completion.
How do you currently handle uncompleted work? Myron Dueck offers 3 strategies for addressing uncompleted work. How could you implement one of these strategies with your own students?
As a middle school social studies teacher in an "modified" ICU school, I do accept late work. However, I do put a missing grade in the Campus Grade Book which factors in as a zero but I will change it upon completion. I find that this serves as a reminder to me, the students, and parents as to how important that assignment is to their grade. I also add comments to assignments if they are absent or other circumstances. This approach has worked well for me as we run a missing list in the morning, have students check in when they get to school, and then direct them to a workroom or their teacher.
I feel like the I in some way already use first strategy, "Use Incompletes and Interventions Rather Than Zeros. Granted, as I stated above I do put "M's" for missing in the Campus Grade Book rather than "I's" for incomplete but I believe this give teachers, students, and parents an understanding of the importance of the missing work. If I put in incompletes it is a not factor and I could have an "A" students with several missing assignments and think they are doing well. I always let students and parents know they will get full credit upon completion of the assignment. The result is the same but the missing I think serves as a reminder and adds incentive to get the assignment completed.
I don't have to worry about uncompleted work in kindergarten. I did agree when they talked about not deducting points for late work, because it doesn't show the true ability of the students knowledge of the subjets.
How do you currently handle uncompleted work? Myron Dueck offers 3 strategies for addressing uncompleted work. How could you implement one of these strategies with your own students?
I am very fornutate at my school because we have implemented the ICU program at the end of our day. This gives students time to come in and do work they haven't completed from being gone or make up quizzes/tests/projects.
Our principal also enforces homework lunch for students that come to school without work completed. I know things come up and students aren't perfect just as we aren't perfect so I only give a homework lunch if the student has continued to come to class over and over without work completed. Each quarter I give students a few assignments however, I do put them on ICU to come in and finish the work and then I average the two grades. So if the incomplete work was 9/20 and then they came in and got 18/20 when they finished it I would average the two grades. I also do this with quizzes. If a student takes a quiz in class and they don't pass it - I put them on ICU to correct it and then I average the two grades. This gives me a chance to talk with them and see where they are struggling.
I would probably implement strategy 1 just because I don't believe in zeros and never have and will always find a way for the student to complete the work.
When I have students who fail to complete their work in a timely manner, first, I give them an extension, a day. Second, I have a meeting with them on "their time", recess. In our meeting I have three options for them to choose from. First option, stay in for recess and work with me. Second option, stay in for recess and stay after school. Thrir option, stay in for recess and come in before school the next morning. After the student and I have a plan, I have the student call their parents on speaker to inform their parents that they have failed to complete their work by the deadline and explain to their parents what their next steps are to complete their homework. I have never had to give a student a zero with this method and most parents are thankful that the penalty does not fall on their shoulders and that their child is being held accountable.
I like the late or incomplete assignment form. I feel like this would probably be more beneficial and efficient in the middle school and high school. Thankfully I have not had many fifth-grade students have issues with late or incomplete assignments. Maybe because when I was teaching, I tried to stay on top of grading and not allow late or incomplete assignments to build up. When I realized there was a late or incomplete I addressed it immediately and what I found was working on assignments during recess time was not ideal for most and I also tried to give an option of working on assignments right after school if students needed help that maybe were not getting it at home. At any rate, going back to the form from the book. I like that the student fills it out and it gives them a form of control and allows them to "redeem" themself in a way.
How do you currently handle uncompleted work? Myron Dueck offers 3 strategies for addressing uncompleted work. How could you implement one of these strategies with your own students?
I utilize a zeros are not permitted policy when it come to uncompleted work. I feel that the work that I assign is important or I would not assign it. Therefore, I don't let students off the hook by letting them take zeros. I feel that some students would rather take a zero than make the decision to do the work. To ensure work is done, I take advantage of our homeroom time each day. During this time, I pull students into my room so I can have them complete late work. Many times students are able to do the work without my assistance. However, if needed, I provide students the extra help/assistance they need to complete their work. If necessary, I make arrangement with students/parents for them to stay after school to complete work. However, this has not happened very often. Due to my procedures concerning late work, I don't have too much of an issue with late/uncompleted work.
I already have a strategy similar to strategy #1 Use Incompletes and Interventions Rather Than Zeros. I could implement some of the interventions in the section with my students in addition to pulling them during homeroom. If fact, I like the idea of giving assignment time spans verses due dates. Giving assignment time spans gives student flexibility and choice that way they can plan around other things in their schedules. However, I can see students waiting until the last minute so I would give student frequent reminders and maybe have them tentatively plan when they plan to turn their assignment in. I like the incomplete assignment form too. It could help both the student and me keep track of late work as there would be a form to reference.
So many teachers in my building struggle with students not completing work. I feel like the strategies provided by Myron Dueck could help them with their frustrations.
We have an incentive for our high school students for our last period (homeroom/study hall) of the day. If they are not on the missing/incomplete list that is run at noon, they get to leave school early. It's only 30 minutes. But it pushes a lot of students to not be on the list. Now that being said, the program we use for grades does not show the students what they haven't turned in unless ignis marked as missing-and therefore a zero. Anytime an incomplete is marked, they have to jump through hoops to find it and we know THAT isn't going to happen. Now on top of the incentive to leave early, we do specific work days. Like Tuesday is Math day, so anyone with math assignments missing have to go to their math teachers room to work. Each subject has their own days to try to get those students.
ReplyDeleteNow my own classroom...I teach math. I cant afford for kids to just not do assignments as math builds on itself. I NEED them to try every assignment. Also, I never got the point of a late policy were you take points off per day late...seems like waay to much work on my part LOL. So I accept late work until the end if the quarter. And due to our incentive program, its really only a few kids that have a consistent missing list. Usually do to ability.
Of the strategies given, I align most with #1. I do homework every day...started in class and then finished on their own time if needed, but other than correcting the next day, they know they can hand in when they are done. But knowing they should have it done the next day but can finish it if needed in more time, does help them.
Working in the Special Education room, I do not have to handle uncompleted work for my own classes, but I do have students come to me from other classes with uncompleted work. I typically reteach if the student is struggling to understand or remember the concept and then I allow them to work independently while watching to make sure they understand the task. The strategy I could see implementing in my room the most is Strategy #1. I am able to provide intervention strategies for students for students when needed.
ReplyDeleteCurrently I teach in the "Customized Learning" program at Harrisburg, so we generally are using a general due date instead of a specific due date. If students are absent or sick or just need a little extra time, they are not penalized for "late" work. They are, however, expected to make that time up in other assignments to stay "on pace" throughout the year. I have now implemented in order to take a test and get a grade, the are required to complete their work, so that has eliminated students from just skipping or not doing their work.
ReplyDeleteHow do you currently handle uncompleted work? Myron Dueck offers 3 strategies for addressing uncompleted work. How could you implement one of these strategies with your own students?
ReplyDeleteI teach first grade and so it can be difficult to handle uncompleted work. What I see in my classroom is students not using independent work time to complete their assignments and with that, they are talking to peers, messing around etc. I handle those situations with students completing work during unstructured time where they get do free choice on their IPad or miss out on free choice Friday.
A strategy that I can implement with my students is matching consequences to behaviors.
Our school has a policy that implements a "no zero" practice. We have found in the past that many students are very content to "take a zero" rather than struggle through an assignment and not get it correct anyway. We put late/missing work on the "ICU" list that is visible to all the teachers. When students enter a room for study hall, the supervisor checks the ICU list and lets the students know if they have an assignment needing attention. We also use Saturday School once a month to encourage students to complete those missing assignments. This has its good attributes, and its bad. On the good side, students suddenly become very motivated to turn piles of work in that teachers have been waiting for. On the down side is the grading of all that work! Of course, there are students whose parents do not enforce their student's attendance at Sat. school. But for the most part, nobody wants to have to come to Sat School and they do get busy. (Hopefully, the work is satisfactory and does not need to be redone in the end.)
ReplyDeleteI am pondering the idea of not grading every homework assignment given and instead giving a quiz to check understanding. I have some students who pop to my mind that would make this situation a nightmare. They are "good" students - and therefore, they would take a five question quick quiz and spend 40 minutes (the entire class period) agonizing over each nuance and not able to just put their work down and move on. I suppose that every change in procedure has its growing pains and things to work through, but this one might be something to look into for me in my math classes!
When I was in the classroom, I handled uncompleted work with "incompletes" in the gradebook. However, for some students (I learned throughout the year) I needed to either have parent contact or there needed to be a "zero" in the gradebook for it to spark some interest in completing the assignments. Unfortunately, I also had to stay on many students and give multiple reminders that work was missing and needed to get completed. My team of teachers were also great at helping with this. Since I primarily taught math, it was labeled as one of the most important/must do firsts. We all had "work time" for 30 minutes at the end of every day and at this time, all the math students were to come into my room and work on late or missing assignments during this time. It was also beneficial because I would have a para in the room as well, so if students needed extra support with questions, there were two of us to help out with this.
ReplyDeleteI really do like the idea of the late or incomplete assignment form. This is beneficial to my 6th grade students because they are also being held accountable for their reasoning. It does give flexibility to when they are able to get their work done as well. I also like this because as 6th graders, they all aren't necessarily willing to be open about issues that may be preventing them from getting work done, they are more willing to write about it on a piece of paper and hand it to you.
One of the main strategies I use in my self-contained class is giving them work time to work on our assignments (independent work) at the end of the day. In my self-contained classroom, we focus on meeting our objectives and goals. However I want my students to be an independent as possible, so we are working on doing independent activities at the end of the day. They are able to pick the subject-which is building independence and self-advocacy. They know they must get all of their independent work finished by the end of the week with a visual.
ReplyDeleteOur UE/MS has "flex time" in during the lunch period. If they have 3 or more assignments missing, they are to come in to work with a teacher as opposed to going out for recess or doing an enrichment activity. It has helped our school greatly in making sure that students are getting the support they need to finish their work.
I'll be honest in stating I have a bad habit of putting an "M" in the gradebook for missing assignments which equates to a zero for the student. I can see now how this is a disservice to the students. By not allowing them adequate time to complete the assignment and the grade is not a true representation of their skill level. I can instead put an "I" for incomplete. This will not hurt the students grades and is a true reflection of how the student is performing on the content they have actually covered.
ReplyDeleteI did also like the idea of having a two tiered testing system. I currently have something similar, but I think a concrete two tiered testing system is fair for everyone who missed the original testing day. Expectations will be the same for all students which in turn makes it less stressful for me.
Since I teach Second Grade we do not have a lot of missing or uncompleted work. I follow our school grading system which is the traditional scale.
ReplyDeleteThis book has really caused me to pause and reflect on how much better a 4 point system would be.
One of the things I would implement would be the Incomplete Form. This gives students a chance to let teachers know if there are any outside circumstances affecting them. This in turn builds their relationship which then motivates the student to perform well.
Generally, if the work is completed in a few days, I don't impose a grade penalty. If a student needs to spend extra time to complete the assignment, it usually comes down to spending time with me during a recess or after school. I do like the idea of the late assignment form. Sometimes as educators we are not aware of mitigating factors that affect the student's ability to complete assignments. It would act as a good communication tool for educators and parents. I have used time spans for assignments and do get some early submissions. I can also check-in with students and make sure they are progressing and help with any issues that arise in understanding the expectations.
ReplyDeleteI teach Early Childhood Special Education, where students typically do not turn in traditional assignments, the third strategy—prioritizing evidence of learning—is especially meaningful. Rather than viewing work as “unfinished,” the focus shifts to whether the child has demonstrated the targeted skill in another context.
ReplyDeleteFor example, if a child does not complete a fine motor worksheet, I could observe whether they demonstrate similar skills during playdough activities, block building, or painting. I would document mastery through anecdotal notes, photos, or informal check-ins rather than requiring completion of the original task. This approach maintains high expectations while honoring developmental differences, reduces frustration, and aligns with play-based instruction and IEP goals by emphasizing authentic skill demonstration over task completion.
How do you currently handle uncompleted work? Myron Dueck offers 3 strategies for addressing uncompleted work. How could you implement one of these strategies with your own students?
ReplyDeleteAs a middle school social studies teacher in an "modified" ICU school, I do accept late work. However, I do put a missing grade in the Campus Grade Book which factors in as a zero but I will change it upon completion. I find that this serves as a reminder to me, the students, and parents as to how important that assignment is to their grade. I also add comments to assignments if they are absent or other circumstances. This approach has worked well for me as we run a missing list in the morning, have students check in when they get to school, and then direct them to a workroom or their teacher.
I feel like the I in some way already use first strategy, "Use Incompletes and Interventions Rather Than Zeros. Granted, as I stated above I do put "M's" for missing in the Campus Grade Book rather than "I's" for incomplete but I believe this give teachers, students, and parents an understanding of the importance of the missing work. If I put in incompletes it is a not factor and I could have an "A" students with several missing assignments and think they are doing well. I always let students and parents know they will get full credit upon completion of the assignment. The result is the same but the missing I think serves as a reminder and adds incentive to get the assignment completed.
I don't have to worry about uncompleted work in kindergarten. I did agree when they talked about not deducting points for late work, because it doesn't show the true ability of the students knowledge of the subjets.
ReplyDeleteHow do you currently handle uncompleted work? Myron Dueck offers 3 strategies for addressing uncompleted work. How could you implement one of these strategies with your own students?
ReplyDeleteI am very fornutate at my school because we have implemented the ICU program at the end of our day. This gives students time to come in and do work they haven't completed from being gone or make up quizzes/tests/projects.
Our principal also enforces homework lunch for students that come to school without work completed. I know things come up and students aren't perfect just as we aren't perfect so I only give a homework lunch if the student has continued to come to class over and over without work completed. Each quarter I give students a few assignments however, I do put them on ICU to come in and finish the work and then I average the two grades. So if the incomplete work was 9/20 and then they came in and got 18/20 when they finished it I would average the two grades. I also do this with quizzes. If a student takes a quiz in class and they don't pass it - I put them on ICU to correct it and then I average the two grades. This gives me a chance to talk with them and see where they are struggling.
I would probably implement strategy 1 just because I don't believe in zeros and never have and will always find a way for the student to complete the work.
When I have students who fail to complete their work in a timely manner, first, I give them an extension, a day. Second, I have a meeting with them on "their time", recess. In our meeting I have three options for them to choose from. First option, stay in for recess and work with me. Second option, stay in for recess and stay after school. Thrir option, stay in for recess and come in before school the next morning. After the student and I have a plan, I have the student call their parents on speaker to inform their parents that they have failed to complete their work by the deadline and explain to their parents what their next steps are to complete their homework. I have never had to give a student a zero with this method and most parents are thankful that the penalty does not fall on their shoulders and that their child is being held accountable.
ReplyDeleteI like the late or incomplete assignment form. I feel like this would probably be more beneficial and efficient in the middle school and high school. Thankfully I have not had many fifth-grade students have issues with late or incomplete assignments. Maybe because when I was teaching, I tried to stay on top of grading and not allow late or incomplete assignments to build up. When I realized there was a late or incomplete I addressed it immediately and what I found was working on assignments during recess time was not ideal for most and I also tried to give an option of working on assignments right after school if students needed help that maybe were not getting it at home. At any rate, going back to the form from the book. I like that the student fills it out and it gives them a form of control and allows them to "redeem" themself in a way.
How do you currently handle uncompleted work? Myron Dueck offers 3 strategies for addressing uncompleted work. How could you implement one of these strategies with your own students?
ReplyDeleteI utilize a zeros are not permitted policy when it come to uncompleted work. I feel that the work that I assign is important or I would not assign it. Therefore, I don't let students off the hook by letting them take zeros. I feel that some students would rather take a zero than make the decision to do the work. To ensure work is done, I take advantage of our homeroom time each day. During this time, I pull students into my room so I can have them complete late work. Many times students are able to do the work without my assistance. However, if needed, I provide students the extra help/assistance they need to complete their work. If necessary, I make arrangement with students/parents for them to stay after school to complete work. However, this has not happened very often. Due to my procedures concerning late work, I don't have too much of an issue with late/uncompleted work.
I already have a strategy similar to strategy #1 Use Incompletes and Interventions Rather Than Zeros. I could implement some of the interventions in the section with my students in addition to pulling them during homeroom. If fact, I like the idea of giving assignment time spans verses due dates. Giving assignment time spans gives student flexibility and choice that way they can plan around other things in their schedules. However, I can see students waiting until the last minute so I would give student frequent reminders and maybe have them tentatively plan when they plan to turn their assignment in. I like the incomplete assignment form too. It could help both the student and me keep track of late work as there would be a form to reference.
So many teachers in my building struggle with students not completing work. I feel like the strategies provided by Myron Dueck could help them with their frustrations.