No student may score higher on any assignment than 100% of the test grade covering that assignment

if the student has received an “L” on the assignment

Many Wilton students are overwhelmed, now and then, by the sheer number and diversity of their extra-curricular activities and family responsibilities. The time will come when even the most conscientious student will fail to get a worksheet or other assignment in on time (L) . If an assignment is late, the 100% rule applies.

First, how is the rule applied?

A student who submits a 10 point worksheet after the worksheets of other students have been graded and returned may get full credit for the assignment. The grade is then recorded as a 10 L. If the student gets a grade of 16 out of 20 (80%) on the test which covers that assignment, the 10 L is worth 8 points. The student may retake the test in order to raise the grade on both assignments.

What is the rationale behind the rule?

The teacher simply cannot give the student credit for turning in work after all of the answers or methods of solution become public knowledge, hence the L designation. Yet the chemistry teachers have no desire to punish the student for trying to do too many things or for running into personal problems which may be negatively affecting the student’s work, hence the 100% rule. If the student can verify, under exam conditions, a thorough understanding of the subject, the student can get full credit for the assignment even if it carries an L.

What are the results of the rule?

Most students learn early that it is very risky to get an “L” and strive to get their work in on time. It puts considerable more pressure on the student to do well on tests.

Students who do not understand the subject and are not planning on doing the work to get an understanding, do not bother to copy other student’s work when they discover they will ultimately get no credit for it. Even 200% of nothing is… well you know what it is.

And of course, if a student has a problem and cannot get the work in on time, and the student asks for an extension, the teacher’s response will be, “You don’t need an extension. You’ll just take an L grade. If you understand the material you can still get full credit.”

We have found that a system which tolerates late assignments and allows retakes of exams, and which places most of the credit in the form of low pressure assignments is student friendly. On the other hand, the 150% and 100% rules are effective means of insuring that student grades have a high degree of validity, assuming, of course, that the tests are well constructed.

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