Overview:
Extra Credit is the bane for most teacher's existence.
Every classroom teacher has encountered the inevitable question from a student or parent, “Do you offer extra credit?” The reasons can be myriad: the student was out of school due to illness, and his/her grades suffered from it. The parents may want the student to gain additional mastery of the material.
More often than not, I encounter requests for extra credit from a student who is in one of two positions: 1) he/she is failing despite putting forth effort and is desperate to yank up the course grade, or 2) the student did not do much or any work during the marking period and he/she is making a last-ditch effort to try and pass. What is a teacher to do?
The No Extra Credit Rule
Thankfully, my school has an absolute no extra credit rule; the most I can give is a bonus question or two on a test, and some teachers utilize homework passes if a student receives a specific benchmark grade on a test. However, to say that the teacher has to assign additional work for additional credit upon request is written down in the student and parent handbook as a black-and-white “no.” This was not a unilateral decision made by the administration; instead, the faculty convened during one of our meetings and decided as a group.
Administration supported this decision for several reasons, and while I agree with it wholeheartedly, this article is not a persuasive essay on the bane of extra credit. Instead, I intend to outline the pros and cons of this educational option if a teacher reading this has the singular choice of what to do in the classroom regarding his/her policy on extra credit. Ask any teacher, and each will have their own opinions regarding extra credit and what this reflects on the student.
All teachers have clearly been on the other side of the “big desk” as students, therefore each of us has at one time or another asked for extra credit, or at least participated in such an opportunity. I remember one particular extra credit opportunity I took advantage of in grade school: I used clay to create the types of Roman columns and explain their origins. It was fun, but I did not need the extra points on my grade. I would imagine that you could remember a particular extra credit incident (papier mache volcanoes included), and in some cases, it might have saved you from an otherwise failing grade. However, should it be something you offer, given the choice?
The Positives of Extra Credit
Let’s take a moment and look at the positives of extra credit. First, it motivates students to handle new knowledge on their terms. We have heard of differentiated instruction, but admittedly, we have to forgo that concept to place more emphasis on standardized test preparation. However, extra credit opportunities allow students to tackle new material or synthesize multiple concepts creatively. For some students, this may be the best way to “show what you know” outside of a test placed on their desks. This can ultimately help bolster poor test scores and provide some students with special needs or test anxiety a saving grace. If executed properly, some students learn far more from extra credit and show greater content mastery than a momentary test.
Everyone can have a bad test day; therefore, many teachers feel extra credit opportunities are a fair way to allow students the chance to make up for a poor grade. Ultimately, some teachers claim that extra credit boosts a student’s self-confidence and work ethic since they are able to show off their work to peers. The student has the chance to shine as a ‘master’ of their own topics and ideas. There are many times students can and will surprise their teachers with passion, ingenuity, and creativity within the context of extra credit. It can be a motivating factor for students who would otherwise not be willing to try.
The Hassles of Extra Credit
On the flip side of the coin, extra credit can be a major hassle to the teacher who has to grade it. Think of it this way: say you have a class of thirty students and you offer an extra credit assignment because many of them did poorly on a test. You feel it would be beneficial to assess their mastery in a reasonably creative way without necessarily retesting the material. This sounds like a wonderful idea in theory, but how can you know for certain that a student did the work on their own and a peer or a parent did not do it? Some teachers will say, “I will only allow the student to work on it during class, then.”
I would argue that, at that point, you are losing instruction time for new material, and you will need to purchase the materials for the assignment since you cannot count on the student bringing materials from home to complete it. Teachers living in high poverty areas can attest that sometimes it is challenging to have students come in with the bare essentials for class, let alone ask parents to buy posterboards and glue to make an extra credit project.
Beyond the material needs, extra credit is often a privilege that can be abused. For example, there are students who will put forth minimal effort during the marking period and then ultimately take advantage of extra credit opportunities their teachers provide to bring their grades up. Is this an accurate reflection of scholastic mastery or of scholastic desperation? Also, extra credit work can keep a child from focusing on current work and instead focus their energy on extraneous assignments.
A No for Me
Even if my school did not outright ban extra credit, I would not offer it in my classroom aside from the occasional questions on tests and quizzes that students can take advantage of in the moment, if they so choose. Several parents and students asked me if extra credit was offered; unfortunately, most of the time it was because a student did not do well during the marking period and was facing a poor grade on his/her report card. In one particular instance, it was more disappointing that the student only wanted to do extra credit to bring his grade up so he could play a sport he loved that spring.
I have also had to turn away students who were academically struggling despite their best efforts, and all they needed was the little extra nudge an extra credit project or report would provide. I had to turn them away per school policy, but I did not see the fairness or justice for that student.
In the end, many teachers are stuck with the conundrum of whether extra credit should be offered or not, and it’s up to the school or the teacher to decide. What have you decided? I would love to hear feedback and thoughts in the comments.
The only extra credit I allow is for unused hall passes. Each card marking (10 weeks) I allow my middle school students five hall passes. For each one they don't use, they can earn five extra credit points up to 25 points. In this way, I encourage and reward students for being in class during my class period. I teach computers, so there really is no way for students to make up work at home when they're absent. So, every minute they are in my class is important. I find this motivates students to take care of things during passing time rather than during class time. My school has no restrictions on extra credit. It is up to each teacher. However, the school does encourage teachers to give extra credit points to students who bring canned goods in for our annual food drive. I absolutely refuse to participate in this as it has nothing to do with their class work, and puts students who cannot afford to bring in food at a disadvantage.
I like your idea with the hall passes – that is awesome! Thanks for the idea.
I see no need for it. An occassional bonus question to reward those who truly studied is not out of bounds in my opinion. Students who show up and do their work do not need extra credit assignments. Students who skip school on purpose, do not try to find out what assignments they are missing when they do come back, and barely write down any notes or put forth any effort on class asignments do not deserve exra credit assignments. Students with performance issues (Exceptional children, learning disabilities) can be dealt with by accomodation, such as my student who writes so slowly that I allow him to only write the answers to my (almost) daily quizzes, whereas others must write the questions too so as to make it a useful study guide. If you know for a fact that a student is working their butt off, but simply does not have the academic chops in your class, there are things you can do, fairly, to get them over that passing line. In every scenario I have encountered, an entire extra credit assignment is simply unnecessary.
I will admit that I offer extra credit only because of pressure. Many times the extra credit is, in fact, a last ditch effort by students who did not put in the time to learn in the first place, thus putting more responsibility on my shoulders. Until I feel 100% supported by my administration, and until I am much more confident in my own decisions, I will offer the extra credit. I WILL be going to a policy, however, that there will be NO extra credit if there are outstanding missing assignments for the term. Too many students want to do the more "fun" extra credit assignments rather than the tasks they found unpleasant.
I do offer extra credit but it is something students earn throughout the semester. Students are told up front that there will be no extra credit opportunities at the end. They can earn extra credit in several ways- going above and beyond the stated criteria on assignments, review games, bonus questions on test, etc. I keep an extra credit column and all points go in that column and can be used on assignments on which students do poorly, it’s at the student’s discretion. Some students do tend to wait until the end to use the points on their lowest assignments, but so far I have not felt that a student’s final grade after using the points has been an inaccurate portrayal of that student’s work. By making them earn the points throughout the semester, students cannot wait until the end to try to pass. You guys know how little extra credit points can actually raise a grade, and many times it’s the students who don’t need the points who earn the most.
I occasionally offer a bonus question on a test as extra credit by having a section where there are 4 or 5 questions and I tell them they can pick any 2, or have a secret problem on each assignment that is worth a bonus point.
I think that in the case of students who are “on the bubble” between one score and the next can put forth their own effort by taking advantage of quiz/test retakes. Students in my class who want to do a retake have to complete a review assignment and/or attend a tutoring session in person or through my edmodo classroom group. I set clear timelines for “retake” so that I’m not overwhelmed with extra work myself, but it is still fair to the students who just need a little more time. I teach math, so that happens quite a bit. I don’t think students should be graded on when they learn something, just that they do.
I give substantial extra credit, but not extra work. My class scores well on a quiz, I’ll count the grades once for credit, then again in an extra credit column. The students complete a particularly detailed project–I average the component grades, for extra credit.
Extra credit needs to be the carrot for a job well done, not a shovel to clean up a mess.