Eliminating the Zero?
As Frederick County Public Schools are getting ready to start a new academic year, Superintendent Theresa Alban wants to have a conversation about grading.
In her blog entry dated August 10, Dr. Alban discusses “the zero effect,” arguing that it is unfair for students to receive a score of zero for an assignment, even when the assignment has not been submitted. She suggests a different grading scale completely – from 50 to 100 instead of zero to 100. Currently, in most FCPS classrooms, a score of 90-100 is an A, 80-89 a B, 70-79 a C, 60-69 a D, and 0-59 an F. The impact of a single F grade varies greatly, therefore, depending on the numerical score. If a student earns a high F on one test – 56%, for example – and an A on the next – say, 94% - then his test average is 75%, a C. If the student doesn’t take the first test at all, and a zero is entered in the gradebook, then even with a perfect 100% on the second test, his average is 50%, an F.
This is how it’s been in the great majority of American schools for generations; however, it may be changing. A standards-based pilot program at Windsor Knolls Middle School has already virtually eliminated the zero. It did not come out of the blue; the official FCPS grading policy has long included this statement: “Teachers are expected to review their assignment of grades for student work and tests, recognizing that when using a 0-100 scale, assigning a grade of ‘0’ for missing work can have a significant negative impact on the overall student grade when ‘averaging’ is used to determine a grade” [emphasis added].
Some version of a no-zero policy is also in place in a number of districts in other states and even in several Maryland school systems, including Montgomery, Charles, and Baltimore Counties. In Montgomery County, teachers assign a “due date,” when the assignment may receive full credit, and a “deadline.” Any task or assessment that is completed in good faith between the due date and the deadline automatically receives 50%; if it is not submitted by the deadline, or if the teacher determines that the student cheated, then the assignment does receive a zero. In addition, extra credit or bonus points are strictly prohibited. In nearby Fairfax County, Virginia, a zero may be factored into a student’s grade at the end of the term only after he has been given “multiple opportunities” to complete an assignment. However, teachers are encouraged to award the assignment at least 50% if the student has made a “reasonable attempt.” And in other systems from Idaho to South Carolina, a zero is never factored into a student’s grade for any reason.
Whatever the no-zero policy looks like, it sparks controversy. Proponents contend that one or more zeroes in the gradebook will mean that students’ final grades do not accurately reflect what they know and can do. They say that assigning a zero is really grading behavior and work habits rather than learning. In addition, they argue that it causes students to lose hope and give up, that a teacher can motivate a student with a 57% to try a little harder – but perhaps not a student with a 27%. One former FCPS teacher who is now in Montgomery County says that the MCPS policy “helps the very low-level but hard-working student” without giving slackers a free ride. A Windsor Knolls teacher concurs: “The students who would fail, will fail anyway.”
Opponents maintain that no-zero grading policies discourage student responsibility. They say that grades, especially at the secondary level, should prepare students for the expectations they will face in college and the workforce, where punctuality and results are rewarded and there is no partial credit for late or sloppy work. A Baltimore County math teacher dislikes the policy because “it requires me to be dishonest, giving points for no work,” and one parent expressed dismay that her honors-level daughter “will do the bare minimum to get that 50%.” American grading theories and accepted practices have evolved every few decades since our first public schools, and no “one-size-fits-all” policy has ever been ideal for all students. Since each subject area and age group has different goals, some flexibility and the teacher’s own judgment will factor into any effective grading system. “The best grading system would be one that truly reflects what students have learned--what they know and are able to do,” Superintendent Alban clarified in an email. “I do not think we are there yet, and I do not think that only a scale of 50 to 100 would get us there either. To have grades that truly reflect learning will require some huge paradigm shifts, which is why having more conversation, discussion and reflection will be critically important.”
Deborah Carter is a recently retired FCPS English teacher and former columnist.
