Should teachers let failing students pass by doing an 'extra credit' assignment?

[YES]

As teachers, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place at the end of each term when students, parents, and even our colleagues are all sending us the message that we should just let students pass. And high- stakes testing is making it harder and harder for teachers to pass a student who obviously does not have the required skills.

But the other side of high-stakes testing is that it makes our students feel even more like they are just numbers, not individuals. Sometimes, to "leave no child behind" means we must look carefully into each student's life to find the best way to educate that student. 

Several days ago a senior in one of my AP classes came in to thank me. Last term, I allowed her to make up a number of late assignments and receive some extra credit in order to pass. She had been absent a lot because she had to find a second job when she was kicked out of her house. I pushed back every deadline and gave her more chances than I normally offer. She finished, barely. 

It's true that I was not as accommodating for a student whose main excuse for absences was a snooze button, but even that student began getting calls from me at 6:30 a.m. You do what you can, when you can. 

I rarely take late work. I push hard for kids to learn that deadlines are part of a real job, and most bosses won't care if you're having a bad day. My father owns a business and employs a number of high school students. Being a good student usually translates into being a good employee, whether it's showing up on time ready to work or following through with orders even when that takes extra time. I always feel responsible for teaching students those skills through deadlines and due dates. 

But I also know that a student's well-being and individual needs must come first. In life, we must hope that someone will cut us some slack, not all the time, but once in a while when we are really desperate.  

Julie Barlow is an English teacher and yearbook advisor in Layton, Utah.

Cast Your Vote

[NO]

Every year, when the leaves turn and the coats come out of storage, the barrage of phone calls, e-mails, and parent conferences start. Although grades have been communicated numerous times during the semester, all now want to know, "What can my student do to pass the class?"

Most often, I don't hear in these conferences "study," or "complete the work," but those two words "extra credit." There is much pressure from administrators, student, parents, and, yes, even from other teachers to pass students.    

The students who ask me for extra credit usually are those who didn't work or perform during the grading period. Extra credit implies that additional work was completed beyond what was assigned. But I have taught in schools where students received extra credit for wearing a tie every Friday, attending a basketball game, and attending school plays.

I do have students who sometimes need me to cut them some slack—usually one or two a semester, who have a long illness or serious family problems. I talk with them and we agree on how soon they will make up their work. 

But extra credit given as the semester ends because the student would not work in class is different. Sometimes the parents have never been heard from, even after being notified that the student was not working.

The extra credit activity that students want most is the "report." One year, I taught a senior who missed 25 days of my class. When the student's father confronted my principal, the principal asked me to let the student write a report and give enough credit so the student could pass. I refused, so my principal had another teacher do it. That student should have received the "F" that was earned.

With "No Child Left Behind" and other high-stakes tests, why would a teacher let a student pass with extra cre-dit? Will you take the blame when students pass your course but fail the test?

Dana Camp teaches high school chemistry in Fayetteville, Georgia.

Cast Your Vote

Voting Results

Is retention better than social promotion for students?

The tally on the question in the March 2005 issue of NEA Today:

76% Yes 

24% No