Fifty Percent for a Job Not Done

Several schools in states like Tennessee and Ohio are experimenting with a grading policy that is defined as a no zero grading system. It works in different ways in different school systems, but basically the policy calls for no zeros to be given on any assignment, even if the student fails to turn the assignment in. Some systems call for a teacher to provide help to such a student and allow them to make up the assignment for full credit; other systems call for no lower grade than a 50% to be given, even if the assignment is never made up.

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Supporters say that a zero can bring down an average grade considerably and mark a student as a failure in his eyes and in the eyes of teachers, parents and other students. They say that giving a grade of 50, or allowing the student to make up the work with full credit with a teacher’s help builds up the confidence of the student and makes allowances for negative home situations which may impact a student’s performance.

However, critics argue that the policy is unrealistic and does not prepare students for the real world because it takes the responsibility for grades away from the student and places it on the teacher’s shoulders. Some day, when the student is an adult and has a job, critics argue, no employer is going to pay him 50% of his salary for not showing up or not doing the job he was hired to do. The employee, encouraged by this grading policy when he was in school, may argue that he has problems at home that interfere with his performance at work. But is that really the employer’s concern? Should not individuals be able to handle their personal problems and do the job they are hired to do?

It may be argued that children are not adults yet and cannot be expected to meet adult situations. However, it can also be argued that education is the primary way in our culture that we prepare children to live in the adult world successfully. Grades are the student equivalent of paychecks, therefore grades should be given for a job well done, not a job half done or not done at all.