Show Notes
What’s your take on eliminating zeros from the grade book? Does your school have a no-zeros grading policy? Even if it doesn’t, you probably have opinions about it.
Setting 50% as the minimum grading threshold is a well-meaning effort to more accurately assess student learning, but it can also create new—and frustrating—challenges for teachers and students.
In this episode of School of Practice, teacher and instructional coach Tyler Rablin explores the tradeoffs of eliminating zeros from the grade book. We’ll hear from teachers in our community with firsthand experience navigating the policy, and discuss exceptional strategies for building motivation and accountability without relying on numerical penalties.
Related resources:
Learn more about this episode
Getting Rid of Zeros Won’t Fix the Grade Book
Template: Tyler Rablin’s Late Work Contract
Do No-Zero Policies Help or Hurt Students?
Why the 100-Point Grading Scale is a Stacked Deck
The Case Against Zeros in Grading
How to Help Students Focus on What They’re Learning, Not the Grade
Why Teachers Should Grade Less Frequently
Research: “Equitable” Grading Through the Eyes of Teachers
Research: Can We Trust the Transcript? Recognizing Student Potential Through More Accurate Grading
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