5 Steps To Follow When A Student Says Nothing is Missing, But You See Otherwise
- Sean McCormick
- Oct 5, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 13
Last updated: November, 2025
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When a student swears everything is turned in but the portal shows a wall of zeros, adults often end up in a confusing triangle: is the student lying, is the teacher behind, or is the system glitching again?
Meanwhile, the missing work is still missing.
This article walks through why these “nothing is missing” moments matter, the most common mistakes parents and educators make when responding, and a 5-step process to turn the confusion into a teachable moment about ownership and executive function skills.👇
Table of Contents
These situations are not rare edge cases.
They show up every semester, in every school, and they can quickly turn into power struggles or blame games if we are not careful.
For example, I worked with a student who was missing more than 5 assignments across 2 classes, but when I asked him about it, he insisted he had turned everything in.
Aeries and Google Classroom showed no record of the work, so I followed up with screenshots.
This time he replied that he was not even enrolled in those classes.
I asked him to email his counselor to request being unenrolled, and he agreed.
A few days later, the system still showed him in the classes, the missing work list kept growing, and he continued to insist that nothing was missing and that he was not in those classes at all.
These messy, confusing moments are exactly why this topic matters so much for parents and educators who are trying to actually help, not just argue about missing work.
Why “Nothing Is Missing” Moments Matter More Than You Think
When a student insists everything is turned in but the portal shows a pile of zeros, it is not just an annoying tech glitch.
These moments reveal gaps in executive function skills:
tracking assignments
reading systems accurately
following through on communication
owning responsibilities
If we only argue about who is right, we miss the chance to teach skills that prevent the same chaos from repeating every quarter.
Handling these situations well helps students build honesty, self-awareness, and reliable systems so they can navigate school (and later, work and life) without constant rescue missions from adults.
3 Mistakes Educators and Parents Make When A Student Denies Missing Assignments
Mistake 1: Turning “missing work” into a character issue
When the portal says five assignments are missing and your student insists everything is turned in, it is tempting to jump straight to:
“they’re lying”
or
“the teacher messed up”
That turns a logistics problem into a character problem and shuts the student down.
Instead of accusing or defending, shift the conversation to
“something isn’t lining up here, let’s figure it out together.”
Mistake 2: Arguing through portals, emails, and screenshots
Many adults get stuck in endless back-and-forth over Aeries, Google Classroom, or screenshots in a text thread.
The tools start to feel more important than the actual work getting turned in.
A quick face-to-face meeting where you literally look at the same screen together is almost always faster, clearer, and way less stressful for everyone involved.
Mistake 3: Fixing the crisis but never changing the system
Once missing work is turned in and grades rebound, most adults breathe a sigh of relief and move on.
The problem is that nothing in the student’s habits has actually changed, so the same crisis is waiting a few weeks down the road.
Skipping the weekly check-ins, routines, and habit-building steps means you are stuck playing academic firefighter instead of helping the student own their systems.
5 Steps To Follow When A Student Says Nothing is Missing, But You See Otherwise
Step 1: Schedule a face-to-face problem-solving meeting
Start with a real conversation, not a text thread.
Digital portals, screenshots, and parent emails can all tell slightly different stories.
Sit down together on Zoom or in person, look each other in the eye, and frame it as
“let’s figure this out together,”
not
“you’re in trouble.”
This lowers defensiveness and makes it much easier to spot what’s actually missing.
Step 2: Look at the evidence together on one screen
Open the grade portal, assignment tracker, syllabus, and email all in one place.
If you don't have an all-in-one-place system set up yet, download my student dashboard for an easy way to track all things school:
Ask the student to walk you through what they see and what they think is done.
Then calmly compare that with what the system says is missing.
You’re training their brain to reconcile multiple sources of information instead of trusting the first one that feels convenient.
Step 3: Close loops during the meeting (not later)
While you’re together, send any important emails right then:
the counselor about a schedule change
the teacher about a confusing assignment
a coach about a missed deadline
Busy students and busy adults are both pros at “I’ll do it later” and then forgetting.
Hitting send in real time turns a vague plan into an actual next step.
Step 4: Set up a recurring weekly check-in
Once the immediate crisis is handled, put a quick weekly check-in on the calendar.
Use it to review grades, upcoming deadlines, and any new issues.
Over time, you can gradually shorten or space out these meetings as the student becomes more independent.
This “phase out” is what prevents the next round of surprise missing work.
If you prefer a video on this topic, check out my YouTube video on how to run a family team meeting.👇
Step 5: Shift from fixing grades to building habits and ownership
When the late work is turned in and grades bounce back up, the real work starts.
Focus on helping the student build simple, repeatable systems:
how they check the portal
how they track assignments
when they email teachers
Talk openly about the challenge instead of searching for a magic app.
The goal is for them to own the process, not rely on you to rescue them every time.
FAQs
What if the teacher or portal actually made a mistake?
Sometimes the system really is wrong or a teacher hasn’t updated grades yet.
The point of the face-to-face meeting is not to prove the student wrong, but to figure out what is true.
If it turns out to be an adult or tech error, model how to calmly email the teacher for clarification so the student learns how to advocate instead of argue.
What if my student refuses to meet or shuts down?
If a student refuses to sit down and talk, start smaller.
Offer a short, time-bound check-in (like five minutes) and frame it as support, not a lecture.
You can also begin by validating how frustrating the situation is for them before shifting into problem-solving, which lowers their defenses and makes cooperation more likely.
How long do we need to keep doing weekly check-ins?
Weekly check-ins are a temporary scaffold, not a life sentence.
Keep them in place until the student consistently knows what is due, follows through, and can show you their own system for tracking work.
As they show more ownership, gradually shorten or space out the meetings so they feel trusted while still having a safety net.
The Bottom Line
Here’s a quick recap of the 5 steps to take with your student when they claim no assignments are missing, but you see otherwise:
Schedule a face-to-face problem-solving meeting
Look at the evidence together on one screen
Close loops during the meeting (not later)
Set up a recurring weekly check-in
Shift from fixing grades to building habits and ownership
Hope this helps 🤙🏻
This article is a part of the larger category of:
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P.S. If you want to work on executive function skills with your students, consider joining hundreds of other educators and parents who have completed my Semester Success Blueprint Course. In less than 2 hours, this comprehensive course will teach you and your student the system I developed to help hundreds of students learn how to manage school effectively and raise their self-awareness and engagement with school.
About Me
Hey! I'm Sean 👋
I'm a former public school special education teacher who realized that executive function skills are more important than knowing when George Washington crossed the Potomac.
Since then, I've made it my mission to teach anyone who will listen about how to develop these key life skills.
In 2020, I founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services. We offer online EF coaching and courses to help students and families.
Realizing I could only reach so many people through coaching, in 2021 I started the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key strategies to improve executive function skills for students.
In 2023, I co-founded of UpSkill Specialists, to provide neurodivergent adults with high-quality executive function coaching services.
When not pursuing my passions through work, I love spending time with my family, getting exercise, and growing my brain through reading. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.
Want me to speak on executive function skills at your event? Learn more about my speaking topics here.