The dreaded zero. For many students, this number elicits a certain amount of fear and anxiety that all assignments are turned in on time. I, for one, felt this way and made sure that everything was turned in when it was due. Compliance and following rules, even if I didn’t agree with them, were just natural parts of my view of school. Unfortunately, the effect does not transcend to every kid. Sometimes they forget. Other times they just don’t care. Regardless of the reasons, I think it is essential to critically examine the message and lesson that we are imparting to our youth through this outdated and, quite frankly, insensitive practice.
The policy for giving zeros to students who do not turn in assignments when they are due has pretty much been entrenched in schools across the world. It is one of many examples that fall into what I call the “death trap” in education – that’s the way we have always done it. Just because something has been done in the past, or is a traditional component of school culture, does not mean it is an effective practice. In my opinion, it is well beyond the time to revisit this practice and determine if it truly is in the best interests of our learners. Take the scenario below shared by Powers Thaddeus “Teddy” Norrell.
Now other professions might have stricter accountability, but more often than not, there is leeway. The question then becomes what message or lesson are we really teaching students by giving zeros? If learning and growth is the goal, then it is our responsibility to tackle this issue as the negative impacts on our learners far outweigh the need to make an example or fall back on the “preparation for the real-world” rationale.
As a principal, I worked with my staff to tackle this issue as well as the overall practice of grading. I’m not going to lie; it was one of the hardest change initiatives I ever engaged in during my tenure as principal. Now I am not saying our solution was perfect or the best by any means. However, it did represent a step in a better direction in that we focused more on learning as opposed to grades and marks. You can see the specific changes and associated rationale for our revamped grading philosophy HERE. Below is what the committee came to a consensus on in regard to zeros:
Reflecting on these questions can help lead to the creation of better assignments that are more relevant, and kids actually want to complete. Punishing learners with zeros destroys both morale and a love of learning by digging a hole that many cannot recover from (nor do they have any aspirations to do so). They also create a mirage in terms of what was actually learned. If a grade does not reflect learning than what’s the point? We owe it to our students to pave a better path forward.
Guskey, T. R. (2000). Grading policies that work against standards … and how to fix them. NASSP Bulletin, 84(620), 20–29.
O'Connor, K. (2007). A repair kit for grading: 15 fixes for broken grades. Portland, OR: Educational Testing Service.
O’Connor, K., & Wormeli, R. (2011). Reporting student learning. Educational Leadership, 69(3), 40-44.
Reeves, D. B. (2004). The case against zero. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(4), 324–325.
Reeves, D. B. (2008). Effective grading practices. Educational Leadership, 65(5), 85–87.
The policy for giving zeros to students who do not turn in assignments when they are due has pretty much been entrenched in schools across the world. It is one of many examples that fall into what I call the “death trap” in education – that’s the way we have always done it. Just because something has been done in the past, or is a traditional component of school culture, does not mean it is an effective practice. In my opinion, it is well beyond the time to revisit this practice and determine if it truly is in the best interests of our learners. Take the scenario below shared by Powers Thaddeus “Teddy” Norrell.
Emily is an engaged student who always pays attention in class, has a high class rank, and has never made a grade lower than an A. Emily’s first four grades in physics are 100, 99, 99, and 98. Emily is set to have a 99 average for the term. However, she has had an unusually busy week, and when she arrives at school on the morning the final assignment is due, she realizes that she has completely forgotten to do it. She explains her situation to the teacher and begs to be allowed to turn it in the next day. The teacher is unsympathetic and assigns Emily a grade of zero for the final assignment, telling her that this will prepare her for the “real world.”Let’s examine the last statement regarding preparation for the real world. Correct me if I am wrong, but in education, teachers and administrators don’t receive zeros if they:
- Don’t arrive to work on time.
- Fail to meet a determined deadline (i.e., turn in lesson plans, complete all observations/evaluations by a set date, etc.)
- Don’t read or respond to email and as a result, are unprepared for meetings or don’t get needed information to colleagues when required.
- Forget to call parents back
Now other professions might have stricter accountability, but more often than not, there is leeway. The question then becomes what message or lesson are we really teaching students by giving zeros? If learning and growth is the goal, then it is our responsibility to tackle this issue as the negative impacts on our learners far outweigh the need to make an example or fall back on the “preparation for the real-world” rationale.
No zeros: Students are not to be assigned a grade of zero (0). This not only reflects grading as punishment but also creates a hole that students cannot dig out of (Guskey, 2000; Reeves, 2004; Reeves, 2008; O'Conner and Wormeli, 2011). This includes HW, quizzes, tests, projects, etc. An exception to this would be cases that involved cheating, plagiarism, or a midterm/final exam no show without a justifiable excuse (i.e., doctor’s note, death in the family, etc.).For some practical alternatives to dishing out zeros check out the latter portion of the article by Norrell titled Less Than Zero. It is important to determine why students don’t turn in specific assignments such as homework and projects as a way to mitigate even having to consider doling out zeros. Consider the following questions:
- Is the assignment meaningful and relevant?
- Does the learner see the purpose in it?
- Will feedback be given?
Reflecting on these questions can help lead to the creation of better assignments that are more relevant, and kids actually want to complete. Punishing learners with zeros destroys both morale and a love of learning by digging a hole that many cannot recover from (nor do they have any aspirations to do so). They also create a mirage in terms of what was actually learned. If a grade does not reflect learning than what’s the point? We owe it to our students to pave a better path forward.
Guskey, T. R. (2000). Grading policies that work against standards … and how to fix them. NASSP Bulletin, 84(620), 20–29.
O'Connor, K. (2007). A repair kit for grading: 15 fixes for broken grades. Portland, OR: Educational Testing Service.
O’Connor, K., & Wormeli, R. (2011). Reporting student learning. Educational Leadership, 69(3), 40-44.
Reeves, D. B. (2004). The case against zero. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(4), 324–325.
Reeves, D. B. (2008). Effective grading practices. Educational Leadership, 65(5), 85–87.
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