4.8—MAKE-UP WORK
Students who miss school due to an excused absence shall be allowed to make up the work they missed during
their absence under the following rules.1
1. Students are responsible for asking the teachers of the classes they missed what assignments they need to
make up. 2
2. Teachers are responsible for providing the missed assignments when asked by a returning student.2
3. Students are required to ask for their assignments on their first day back at school or their first class day
after their return.2
4. Make-up tests are to be rescheduled at the discretion of the teacher, but must be aligned with the schedule of
the missed work to be made up.
5. Students shall have one class day to make up their work for each class day they are absent. 3
6. Make-up work which is not turned in within the make-up schedule for that assignment shall receive a zero.4
7. Students are responsible for turning in their make-up work without the teacher having to ask for it.2
8. Students who are absent on the day their make-up work is due must turn in their work the day they return to
school whether or not the class for which the work is due meets the day of their return.
9. As required/permitted by the student’s Individual Education Program or 504 Plan.
Work may not be made up for credit for unexcused absences in excess of the number of allowable unexcused
absences in a semester unless the unexcused absences are part of a signed agreement as permitted by policy
4.7—ABSENCES. 5 Out-of-school suspensions are unexcused absences.6
Work missed while a student is expelled from school may not be made up for credit and students shall receive a
zero for missed assignments.7
In lieu of the timeline above, assignments for students who are excluded from school by the Arkansas
Department of Health during a disease outbreak are to be made up as set forth in Policy 4.57—
IMMUNIZATIONS.
Notes:
1 There are several options for amending this sentence in light of the change to policy 4.7.
Here are
some suggestions. “Students who miss school due to an additional absence as defined in policy 4.7 shall
be allowed…” “Students who miss school shall be allowed…” “Students who miss school due to an
absence shall be required…” “Students who miss school shall be required…” Your district has the right
to require students to make up work for both excused and unexcused absences; requiring work to be
made up for all absences could serve as a deterrent for unexcused absences.
© 2015 Arkansas School Boards Association
2 This sentence should be modified for elementary school classes.
3 Select the number of days
your district deems reasonable and feasible.
4 Your district may choose to adopt a different schedule such as docking the work a certain percentage
for each day it is late.
5 The contents of this paragraph are optional and can be adjusted to the extent it remains aligned with
your personalization of policy 4.7. The amended version of 4.7 does not count suspensions toward the
number of allowable absences. Your district has the right to allow make up work from students for
absences. Requiring all work to be made up could conceivably be seen as a deterrent for suspensions.
6 Remove this sentence if you elected to make out-of-school suspensions count as excused absences in
Policy 4.7.
7 The law is silent on what happens to assignments a student misses due to being expelled. You may
grant the student no credit for the courses the student was taking instead of giving the student zeros. We
recommend you consider the practice your district has been using and align the language in this policy
with your previous practice to maintain consistency.
Cross References:
4.7—ABSENCES
4.57—IMMUNIZATIONS
Date Adopted:
Last Revised:
© 2015 Arkansas School Boards Association