My kid was notified AFTER Oct 24 that an in-class paper assignment was "missing". Ugh.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This doesn’t mean teachers are obligated to take late work through 10/24. Only that they cannot afterwards.

That’s not clear either.

With the whole “deadline” thing, they are not obligated to take work that’s way late at all. In fact, I think they’re supposed to give a zero if the deadline isn’t met. I don’t know whether they have discretion.

I also don’t think this means they cannot take late work after 10/24. It just means they’re not obligated to. So if they want to, perhaps they have that discretion but a student can’t expect that they must.

In reality, there are a million policies but they are not followed with fidelity. My kids have a number of classes where the teacher isn’t meeting the minimum number of required all task and practice prep grades for the quarter. Teachers are also supposed to benchmark within the school and all the kids know of ones who are easier graders vs tougher graders.

At the end of the day, kids need to be on top of the grade book, develop skills to track due dates, and communicate with teachers. This is something I desperately wish middle schools would work on.

My school says “not allowed” so that there is not peer pressure on teachers to do so where some extenuating circumstance doesn’t exist.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This doesn’t mean teachers are obligated to take late work through 10/24. Only that they cannot afterwards.

That’s not clear either.

With the whole “deadline” thing, they are not obligated to take work that’s way late at all. In fact, I think they’re supposed to give a zero if the deadline isn’t met. I don’t know whether they have discretion.

I also don’t think this means they cannot take late work after 10/24. It just means they’re not obligated to. So if they want to, perhaps they have that discretion but a student can’t expect that they must.

In reality, there are a million policies but they are not followed with fidelity. My kids have a number of classes where the teacher isn’t meeting the minimum number of required all task and practice prep grades for the quarter. Teachers are also supposed to benchmark within the school and all the kids know of ones who are easier graders vs tougher graders.

At the end of the day, kids need to be on top of the grade book, develop skills to track due dates, and communicate with teachers. This is something I desperately wish middle schools would work on.

If anyone is interested, here is the updated policy:

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/master%20ika-ra.pdf

We have at least 9 All Task assignments each quarter. We are to mark any All Task that is not submitted by the due date as a Z. Then, notify parents and document that in Synergy. Students can turn in the assignment by the deadline and have a 10% deduction. After the deadline, we can change it to a zero if the student did not turn in the assignment after support and intervention. Then, we have to document that in Synergy. With 170 students, at least 9 All Task assignments equals to at least 1,530 entered grades for All Tasks. Notifying parents, offering interventions and support, and then documenting. Repeatedly. Even with the change in how final grades are calculated, this grading system is ridiculously overwhelming for teachers.

Anonymous wrote:This doesn’t mean teachers are obligated to take late work through 10/24. Only that they cannot afterwards.

That’s not clear either.

With the whole “deadline” thing, they are not obligated to take work that’s way late at all. In fact, I think they’re supposed to give a zero if the deadline isn’t met. I don’t know whether they have discretion.

I also don’t think this means they cannot take late work after 10/24. It just means they’re not obligated to. So if they want to, perhaps they have that discretion but a student can’t expect that they must.

In reality, there are a million policies but they are not followed with fidelity. My kids have a number of classes where the teacher isn’t meeting the minimum number of required all task and practice prep grades for the quarter. Teachers are also supposed to benchmark within the school and all the kids know of ones who are easier graders vs tougher graders.

At the end of the day, kids need to be on top of the grade book, develop skills to track due dates, and communicate with teachers. This is something I desperately wish middle schools would work on.

At DD’s high school, most teachers seem to be interpreting the “5 school days before the end of the marking period” as ending on Sunday, so kids have the weekend.

Teachers ,just smile and nod. They will make our lives troublesome as our main goal in education is to strive for higher salaries for our bosses while we can barely afford rent and food. They will fire us if we report violence or give bad students the grades they deserve.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a HS and we received essentially the same email from our principal. We were told basically any assignment we do next week must be able to completed in a single class period. Anything that doesn't fit that criteria goes on Q2 grades.

This is not the message our hs is putting out to its teachers. MCPS used to have grading guidelines they shared with teachers and we need it now, not next Friday because it sounds like once again schools are just making policies based on what they think the vague language means.

The policy is clear but some people are illiterate.

They lack comprehension. And it will get worse and worse as new, younger teachers join the workforce.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a HS and we received essentially the same email from our principal. We were told basically any assignment we do next week must be able to completed in a single class period. Anything that doesn't fit that criteria goes on Q2 grades.

This is not the message our hs is putting out to its teachers. MCPS used to have grading guidelines they shared with teachers and we need it now, not next Friday because it sounds like once again schools are just making policies based on what they think the vague language means.

The policy is clear but some people are illiterate.

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a HS and we received essentially the same email from our principal. We were told basically any assignment we do next week must be able to completed in a single class period. Anything that doesn't fit that criteria goes on Q2 grades.

This is not the message our hs is putting out to its teachers. MCPS used to have grading guidelines they shared with teachers and we need it now, not next Friday because it sounds like once again schools are just making policies based on what they think the vague language means.

This doesn’t mean teachers are obligated to take late work through 10/24. Only that they cannot afterwards.

Hounding complete. Thanks for posting!

I teach at a HS and we received essentially the same email from our principal. We were told basically any assignment we do next week must be able to completed in a single class period. Anything that doesn't fit that criteria goes on Q2 grades.

This is a clear and well written email. Thx for sharing. I am confused whether more work can be assigned next week for quarter 1

Here's what I received today from my teen's school, and want to share in case some of you need to hound your kids -



Grading & Reporting Community Message 10.23.25


Dear B-CC Parents and Students,

This is an important message related to late work in the last five days of the grading period. As we near the end of quarter one, this is a critical reminder regarding the late work policy governed by MCPS Regulation IKA-RA (Grading and Reporting).

To ensure all grades are accurately and timely reported, we must remind you of the policy’s guidance that late work may not be accepted during the final five school days of the marking period.

This means the absolute final deadline for all outstanding assignments, projects, and make-up work is: Friday, October 24, 2025.

Any late work submitted after this date will not be accepted for grading in this marking period.

What Students Should Do Immediately:

Check StudentVUE/Canvas: Review your grades and identify all missing ("Z") or incomplete assignments that are eligible to be completed.

Contact Teachers: Communicate with your teachers today to confirm which assignments can be submitted late.

Submit By Deadline: Prioritize and complete all outstanding work, ensuring it is submitted no later than the end of the school day on October 24th.

Teachers may still assign new work, including offering assessment retakes, through the end of the grading period which may impact student grades.

We appreciate your attention to the completion of any available coursework as we close the marking period.

Sincerely,

Mr. Yates

Acting Principal