It sounds that you have done due diligence in terms of making the case
why zeros are statistically invalid in schools that use a 100 point
grading scale. I’m not sure how many schools are in your district, but
you could also take the time to meet with faculties,hear their
concerns, and attempt to respond to them. At that point you will
probably have to say that a school committed to helping all students
learn can’t use grading practices that actually discourage learning
and doesn’t reflect the actual learning of a student. Therefore the
district is adopting a grading scale that is more valid, a more
accurate representation of what students are actually learning, and
more likely to encourage students to keep working and learning.

There are probably two other bigger issues to consider. What does a
grade represent? Is it that the student has achieved a standard, or is
that students have completed homework? The other question is, “if the
homework that was assigned is considered essential to the students’
learning, should the students have the option of not doing it,
regardless of whether or not the grade is 0 or 50? Schools are
creating timely systems of intervention that convey the message to
students that they don’t have the option of skipping essential work.
On the other hand, if a student is clearly proficient, should the
student be assigned homework to practice skills that he has already
demonstrated he has mastered?

Rick DuFour

In our work I believe that this is only the first step toward a more comprehensive policy which would probably be to go to a straight letter grade grading scale or a 4,3,2,1,0 scale. I’ve shared Ch. 7 of Reeves’ Learning Leader with staff, Parts of Guskey’s book, Reeves YouTube Video, I’ve offered commentary in a bi monthly newsletter, discussed at a committee meeting, an administrative team meeting, introduced it to the board, and held another meeting after school today. It is evident that there will never be 100% buy-in.
We have introduced PLCs throughout the district, and have begun planning bi-monthly meetings in grade and departmental teams to begin the creation of common formative assessments and to also analyze our quarterly summative assessments. At what point do we “just do it” with this grading idea and bring people along while we’re going through the process?

Charlie Balthrop

This site is an excellent resource! I’m beginning my dissertation work on establishing school-based PLC’s for my Ed.D. and have enjoyed the resources you all have to offer!

Can’t wait to listen to the podcast! I’m currently beginning to craft my dissertation project on school-based PLCs for my Ed.D. and am taking any and all information I can get. This site is an excellent resource!

Peter Carpenter

The critical questions your team must address are: 1) can a school committed to treating students equitably leave the question of what does a grade represent up to each individual in the building to determine on his or her own 2) what should a grade represent in our school and 3) what grading practices encourage learning and effort on the part of students and which actually discourage learning and effort?

We believe the first question is rhetorical. It is incongruous for a profession that craves consistency, fairness, and equity in the way in which teachers are dealt and the way in which rules are applied to students, to then leave the critical question of how will we assess each student’s learning to the very different philosophies and practices of individual teachers.

Does/should a grade represent a student’s achievement of an agreed-upon standard, his effort, his improvement, his participation, his behavior, his promptness, or something else? How will we grade a student who is meets all standards at a high levels but doesn’t turn in homework? How about a student who is polite, pleasant, and attentive to homework but does not meet a standard? Why do we give homework? Isn’t it based on the belief that homework contributes to learning: that practicing the skill and getting the specific feedback of the teacher will enhance student learning? If that is the reason for giving it, does it make sense that a student who is already highly proficient would be penalized for not doing the work? Even more to the point, does it make sense to give a student who is struggling the option of not doing the work and taking a zero? Aren’t there students who have no problem with a zero? In effect, aren’t we simply giving them the option of not doing work we believe is vital to their learning? How does that teach them responsibility? Finally, isn’t it true that giving a zero on a 100 point scale is so statistically invalid and so skewed in a negative way that it could never be justified by anyone with a cursory knowledge of statistics?

These are not easy questions to grapple with, and we commend your staff for tackling them. It gets right to the heart of the matter of whether or not your school will be student centered and therefore committed to engaging in practices that support student learning, or teacher centered and thus committed to leaving critical questions that impact student learning to the comfort level of each adult in the building. Kudos to you for getting this important issue out on the table.

Becky, Rick and Bob