Proactive Strategies to Manage Late or Missed Assessments
Reading Time: 7 minutes
You may face many student requests for clemency (forgiveness, flexibility, or mercy) when it comes to missed work. Requests for extensions, make-up exams, and alternate assignments can be emotionally charged and logistically complex. Agreeing too readily or often can make you feel like a “yes” person (Sultana, 2025), but refusals can lead to frustration and other negative feelings for both you and your students (Sharpe, 2024).
This post suggests ways to reduce the burden on both you and students by embedding flexibility into the course from the start. These practical, proactive strategies can help you to anticipate and respond to student requests compassionately while striving to maintain fairness and academic integrity. They also provide alternatives to a request that students contact you in advance about missing assignment due dates.
Note that these strategies may be used in consultation with your Chair, program coordinator, course coordinator, and/or other faculty teaching different sections of the same course. Decisions about how and what to use should be made with the college and school policies, course contexts, and learning outcomes in mind.
Grace Tokens
Grace tokens (extensions with “no questions asked”) are a proactive way to offer students limited flexibility without requiring justification. For example, each student might receive one token per term that allows:
- A missed quiz to be rescheduled within one week of the original date
- A 1 to 3-day extension on an assignment with no grade penalty
- An oral presentation to be made up on a mutually agreed upon date
Grace tokens reduce the emotional labour of evaluating each individual request. By setting clear boundaries around their use, you can model trust and care while maintaining structure. However, this approach requires explaining how the grace tokens work and charting submission dates and token use.
Example of an explanation of a grace token
In this course, students are permitted ONE three-day extension, or grace token, on an assignment during the term, no explanation required. You don’t need to communicate to me which assignment you’ve chosen to use the extension on. Whether I hear from you or not, after the due date, if your assignment has not been submitted for any reason, your grace token will automatically come into play.
After you have used your grace token (three days have gone by), the late policy will start to apply. This means that if you submit after three days, you will receive a 10% deduction per day, as per the Academic Handbook. After you have used your token once in a term, your next assignment will automatically receive a late penalty if not submitted on time.
For example, if your assignment is due on Sunday, and you have not submitted by Sunday, your grace token is automatically applied to Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. If you submit on Tuesday, no penalty. If you submit on Wednesday, no penalty. If you submit on Thursday, the penalty applies: a 10% deduction to your grade will apply. If you submit Friday, a 20% deduction will apply, until a week’s time. After that, it will not be accepted.
Note: Any assignment that depends on the previous assignment must still be submitted by the original due date. One extension does not mean other assignments receive an extension. Feedback may not be able to be provided before the next due date, but I will do my best. You can use the grace token any time except for the final assignment.
If you are required to revise and re-submit for any reason, your grace token will be automaticallly used.
Logistics for grace tokens
Decide on a fixed number of tokens per student (no more than 1 or 2 per term is recommended) and define explicitly what and when they can be used for, as well as when the late policy comes into play. Track usage via your LMS or a simple spreadsheet, and communicate the policy clearly in writing and verbally.
Structured Response Forms
When students fall behind or miss assignment due dates or scheduled assessments, you may be left to interpret vague emails or verbal explanations. Instead of making a decision based only on a reason or excuse a student provides, invite them to complete a short form that includes:
- Request
- The reason for their request
- The impact on their coursework
- A proposed solution or recovery plan
This approach encourages student accountability. It can help you to organize course requests and make documented decisions clearly. However, this process can create additional work tasks for students, who may just wish to contact you directly. It also requires you to explain and habituate this process as well as ensure that the information you collect is secure.
Example of a structured response form
See this MS Form Link to duplicate and customize a Missed Due Date form.
Logistics for response forms
Use Conestoga’s Microsoft Forms app to collect student requests safely and securely. Do not ask for medical documentation or share data with anyone. Keep the form available throughout the term, and ensure instructions guide students in explaining their situation and proposing a solution. Indicate clearly that students may not get what they request, and in that case, a grade appeal is an option for them.
Dropping the Lowest Grade
Dropping the lowest grade, whether it’s a low-stakes quiz, discussion post, or lab is a straightforward way to acknowledge that life happens. It can:
- Reduce student anxiety or frustration over a missed class or misunderstood instructions
- Minimize the impact of one-off challenges like illness or emergencies
- Gives students a choice in the coursework they wish to prioritize
This strategy works best in courses in courses with multiple low-stakes assessments or where multiple submissions combine to an overall “assignment” grade. However, it is important that the learning outcomes are demonstrated in another assessment. It also means you will be grading and providing feedback on student work that will not always apply to their final grade.
In courses with a series of low-stakes assessments like quizzes or discussion posts, faculty may offer more opportunities (e.g., 6 quizzes) and count only the best subset (e.g., best 4). This is considered 4 assessments only if students are not required to complete all to get the benefit of dropping their lowest 2 from the final grade. To ensure consistency and transparency, this practice should be reflected in the model shell Grade Book and communicated clearly to students.
Instructions for dropping the lowest grade
See instructions for how to set Drop Lowest Grade in D2L Brightspace (eConestoga).
Logistics for dropping the lowest grade
Choose a specific assessment type (e.g., low-stakes quizzes) and automate the drop using your LMS settings. Let students know early how it works and ensure it’s applied consistently and fairly. Be sure that the total number of graded assignments is consistent with the Course Outline.
Falling Behind Protocol
When students fall behind, they may feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to re-engage. A clear protocol can help guide them toward taking action and seeking support. Give students direction in how to:
- Recognize that they’ve fallen behind and want to catch up
- Identify what has been missed and what remains
- Co-create specific steps to re-engage with the course
This approach encourages students to take ownership of their learning while giving you a consistent way to respond with care and clarity. However, it does require time, commitment, and follow-up.
Example of a written falling behind protocol
If you’re falling behind in this course (Weeks 3 to 9), take action now. The earlier you respond, the more options you’ll have to succeed. Here are some steps that you can take.
- Re-Familiarize Yourself with the Course
It can be hard to face work that you haven’t completed yet, but it is critical to review the Instructional Plan, course schedule, key assignments, and remaining due dates. Decide what you can realistically complete and when. - Contact Your Professor for a Meeting
Reach out as soon as possible. In your message, explain what you’ve missed and ask to set up a meeting. During that meeting, you’ll work together to create a catch-up plan. This may include:- Establishing priorities
- Highlighting key reading
- Submitting key assignments by the new due dates
- Sample Catch-Up Plan
- Reading A → Missed Assignment A → New Due Date: [Insert Date]
- Reading B → Missed Assignment B → New Due Date: [Insert Date]
- Getting Back on Track
Attend all remaining classes, labs, or synchronous sessions. Being present helps you stay connected, hear important updates, and ask questions in real time. You are far more likely to be successful in the course if you commit to attending class every week. Put the class and due dates in your calendar or schedule you can check daily. - Use Available Resources
Access college support through:- Library and Learning Services
- Accessibility Services
- Academic Integrity Office
Reach out to your Academic Advisor for help navigating these services and supports.
- Expect Follow-Up from Your Professor
After your meeting, your professor will check in with you to monitor progress or adjust the catch-up plan as needed. Also, reach out anytime if you have questions.
Logistics for a falling behind protocol
Create a short, accessible document or LMS page outlining the protocol. Require students to reach out to you for an in-person meeting and go through the protocol together. Include a checklist or form that students can refer to. Keep the tone supportive and non-punitive. Make the protocol visible early in the term and refer to it in announcements or emails when students begin to disengage.
Other Things You Can Do
- Always encourage the student to meet with you in real time. Sharing a hardship story can feel impersonal, and giving how-to instructions can be confusing, if only delivered over email.
- Contact your Chair, explaining concerning or repeated patterns of behaviour you are noticing for one or multiple students in the course.
- Invite the student requesting clemency to meet with their Academic Advisor or an Accessibility Advisor, depending on the situation.
- Fill out a CARE report in cases where you notice abrupt or concerning changes in student behaviour.
- Keep documented information and decisions in a secure place.
- Respond to students with clarity and compassion. Try to remain supportive and future-oriented, even when delivering refusals for extension or makeup requests.
Sample statements for sharing news compassionately
I know this isn’t the outcome you were hoping for, but I appreciate you reaching out. Please let me know how I can support you moving forward.
Thanks for explaining your situation. While I can’t offer an extension this time, I’m here to help you stay on track from this point on.
I understand that my decision may be disappointing. Let’s focus on what’s next and how you can succeed in the upcoming work.
Final Thought
Structured tools like forms, grace tokens, grade-dropping, and protocols can help us balance our duty of care with our duty to the profession (Shapiro & Gross, 2013). They also empower students to take shared accountability for their learning journey. By embedding flexibility into our course design, we can respond to clemency requests with compassion and consistency.
References and AI Disclosure
Shapiro, J. P., & Gross, S. J. (2013). Ethical educational leadership in turbulent times: (Re)Solving moral dilemmas (2nd ed.). Routledge.
With Copilot I reviewed a presentation on the topic of managing extensions that I designed, and from it developed an outline of sample protocols and forms, which I refined on my own. I also brainstormed logistics with Copilot, and searched for real course examples related to dropping the lowest grade.
