Pam, I would love to know your thoughts on grading math homework. I've done a variety of things, but feel very weak in this subject.
I have been grading out of 10 points, some are for accuracy, some are for being on time, proper heading, neat, etc. I feel like homework should be their practice and they should not be penalized for not understanding it immediately but they do need some incentive to get their assignment done as accurately as possible. I am currently getting my degree and student teaching and my cooperative teacher only assigns odd problems (answers are in the back of the book) and they all go into a binder. At test time, the binder is turned in and they get points for completed homework, notes, and any other hand outs they should have in there. This puts the responsibility on the students to self-monitor and get help as needed. If they are slopping through their homework and just copying answers, it will show on tests and quizzes. I plan on adopting this grading strategy next school year.