Fifty Instead of a Zero Misses the Point
Post submitted by Cathy Vatterott, author of the upcoming ASCD book Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs.
A recent Houston Chronicle article describes an effort by the Houston Independent School District to make grading more fair by replacing zeros for incomplete or missing assignments with 50s. I think the goal is commendable—to prevent struggling students from giving up—but I also think the remedy is a band-aid approach for outdated and unfair grading practices.
Zeros only have power because we average grades—then they become super zeros with the power to turn an A student into a C student with only a few missing assignments. Why do students get zeros on homework? Because we allow students not to complete work. Zeros are an easy way out—simply label students lazy for not completing homework (without trying to figure out why), and the teacher is absolved of all responsibility. Zeros punish the vice of laziness, but is laziness the reason most students don't complete assignments, especially homework? I don't think so.
I think the better solution is a "Zeros Aren't Permitted" (ZAP) program, an increasingly popular idea where zeros are used merely as placeholders until work is made up or excused. For multiple examples of ZAP in action, I recommend reading the 2008 article "Teaching Heros: Toss the Zeros" from Education World. Of course, ZAP makes more work for the teacher and administrators, but it puts the emphasis back on learning. As we continue to move toward more standards-based grading and the argument rages about how to "hold students accountable," are we all asking the same question? Is it "How many assignments have the students completed?" instead of "How much have the students learned?" Grades should reflect what a student knows or can do, not what work he or she has completed.
When a student does not complete work, educators get zero feedback about learning. In a traditional grading scheme, the 50 may keep a student from failing, but neither the 50 nor the zero tells us what the student learned. Let's face it: Traditional grading practices just aren't working. I believe it's time for a major overhaul. But in the meantime, I guess a 50 is better than nothing.
What has your school or district done to account for incomplete or missing assignments?
