If homework and participation weren't scored outside of a small number of points for done/not done, this wouldn't be possible. In this situation, the kids would have more incentive to try to understand problems, more incentive to say, "I really couldn't figure this out," and less incentive to GET 100%!!
I think grades should depend nonlinearly on homework. If a student makes an effort on homework but cannot show any grasp of the subject on tests, the student gets a C (D?) for effort. If a student scores 100% on tests and does not do homework, he or she still gets an A. I think this policy makes sense in math, where the purpose of homework is to practice solving problems, but not in history or English, where essays and term papers are intrinsically important.
