During the last two weeks of a senior leadership class, each student was asked to deliver a speech describing “what leadership means to me.” An otherwise academically successful student, Gina, delivered a speech that was found to be heavily plagiarized. 

Prior to the infraction, Gina’s grade in the class stood at 97 percent. 

The speech is given a zero for plagiarism, reducing Gina’s grade in the class to 94 percent. Gina is content with her lowered grade and readily accepts this consequence.

During a unit on ancient Egypt, all 5th grade students are asked to complete a poster on four different aspects of Egyptian society. One student, Simon, wastes time in class rather than work on his poster, so the teacher asks him to complete the assignment at home. The next day, Simon still hasn’t finished it. Three days later, he hands in the completed poster.

The teacher applies a penalty of 10 percent off per day late. The poster would have received a score of 62 percent if handed in on time, but because it is three days late, the grade is reduced to 32 percent. The teacher hears Simon mutter, “Next time I won’t even bother getting it done.” Simon’s overall class grade drops from 58 percent to 49 percent.

During an 8th grade science unit on planets, Serena delivers an exceptional clay project. Unfortunately, she hands in her project two days late, along with a note from her parents detailing some medical concerns explaining her tardiness. The teacher has noticed a pattern of late assignments, and despite, the note from her parents, the teacher feels it would not be fair to the other students if Serena were to receive a high score. As the teacher sees it, Serena benefitted from extra time to complete her project.

The teacher applies a penalty to Serena’s project of 10 perfect per day late. This leads to phone calls from her parents, and eventually, a meeting with the principal. In the end, the teacher is forced to take back the late penalty and give Serena a perfect score. Serena continues to turn in projects late.

Cell phone use has hit epidemic levels in the classroom. The students are inattentive, and so the teacher argues for implementing a strict no-phones policy at staff meetings. His fellow teachers object because some of their lessons actually incorporate the students’ cell phones. Frustrated, the teacher decides to apply a grading penalty whenever students are caught using a phone in his class.

The teacher introduces a daily classroom behavior grade, and students caught texting receive automatic zeros for the day. By the end of the term, some students’ overall grade are diminished due to phone use, and the teacher also confiscates cell phones of repeat offenders.