Managing Retakes in Education: Balancing Teacher Workload and Student Learning

Many educators support the idea of allowing students to retake exams or redo submitted assignments. However, there are significant complexities and challenges involved when teachers have large and multiple classes. In this discussion, we explore the educational value of retakes, stressing the importance of structured learning processes over mere grade chasing. The consensus was that retakes when managed well, can greatly aid student learning but require clear policies to ensure they do not overwhelm teachers. Follow our PLN on Twitter: @SarahR_Morris @LisaPas220 @RickWormeli @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd @curriculumblog Related Resources: Retakes for Grading Equity – Edutopia | Redos and Retakes Done Right (ascd.org) | Blindsided by AI Lisa Leaheey has taught English at North Providence High School for the entirety of her 23-year career. A lifelong voracious reader and movie buff, she spends every day sharing her passion for stories with her students, and she continuously seeks out new ways to elevate her students’ individual strengths and to support their individual needs. Lisa was recently named the 2023 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year. Rick Wormeli, a long-time classroom veteran, now award-winning author and teacher trainer, was one of the first Nationally Board Certified Teachers in America as well as Disney’s Outstanding English Teacher of the Nation in 1996. Today, he trains teachers and principals in all 50 states and eight countries, writes for education journals and magazines, and is working on his 12th book. Sarah Ruth Morris is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas and a strategic data partner for the Northwest Arkansas school districts at the Office for Education Policy. She researches grading practices and the ninth-grade year. Dr. Steven Weber is an Assistant Principal at Rogers Heritage High School (AR). He has spent over twenty-five years in education, serving as a teacher, administrator, and adjunct professor. His leadership experience includes serving as Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning with Fayetteville Public Schools (AR), Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (NC), and Director of Secondary Instruction for Orange County Schools (NC). Weber was a social studies curriculum specialist with the Arkansas Department of Education and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In 2019, Weber was named the AACIA (Arkansas Association of Curriculum & Instruction Administrators) Administrator of the Year. Weber is the past president of the Arkansas Association of Curriculum & Instruction Administrators, vice president of Arkansas ASCD, and has served on multiple state and national boards.