Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Is it OK to deduct points for a late assignment? I've been teaching high school for a while and deducted 10 points a day on major assignments without a thought, but a couple of years ago my Principal challenged my thinking. What are we actually deducting points for ... or, rather, what do the points of our assignments actually stand for? If they stand for mastery and mastery is proven, then how can we deduct points for it being late? There are no standards that measure timeliness. How can you still get work turned in on time if there is no penalty? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) Because we are trying to teach students life skills as well as content, you should be able to deduct some points for late work. One solution would be to have due dates for long term assignments and have deadlines. A due date would be the original date it is due to get full credit, but a deadline is the last day you will take it for a small penalty of your choice. This way students can still show mastery for some credit.