Posted on 03/21/2015 12:52:22 PM PDT by Kaslin
The threat of failing may no longer be such a consequence for underperforming students in some Virginia schools. Why? School administrators in the city of Fairfax are prepared to ban zeroes to spare students’ feelings.
In Montgomery County, students cannot be given a score lower than 50 percent “unless they did not actually do the assignment or put in effort to do it,” said schools spokesman Dana Tofig. In Loudoun County, the grading practices regarding zeros varies school to school, said spokesman Wayde Byard.
Starting as early as this year, grades in northern Virginia could have more of an emphasis on “classroom effort,” and less on actual test scores, according to the report.
In addition to eliminating zeroes, schools could also allow students to turn in corrections on incorrect test answers.
Some perks! If I knew I could simply redo all my work, I wouldn’t have spent nearly so much time studying the first time around. This is the likely mindset many students will adopt knowing about the relaxed repercussions. Back in middle school and high school, when my teacher put my completed test on my desk with red ink that announced my grade, I knew it was permanent. Now, that red ink doesn’t even have to dry by the time students can apply the whiteout.
Some people believe this is in the student’s best interests.
Education consultant and grading expert Ken O’Connor said movements to standardize grading systems are picking up steam. He also said that giving students a zero is “morally and ethically wrong.”
“As soon as a kid gets even one zero, they have no chance of success,” O’Connor said, noting that the student has to then achieve perfect results to recover academically.
I have two words for Mr. O’Connor: Ben Carson. Actually, make that three words: Dr. Ben Carson. When Carson was in elementary school, he routinely received failing grades. With his mother’s urging and encouragement, however, he turned those scores around and became one of the most renowned neurosurgeons in the world. It’s obvious that his early struggles in school pushed him to not only overcome, but to excel.
Student representatives in Virginia, however, argue that the new grading system would provide an easier path for students to get into college. That sounds nice and all, but did they consider the student’s well being when he or she makes it into a college for which they’re not qualified? After being so coddled in middle school and high school, they’d be in for quite a shock dealing with the often merciless university workloads. Oh by the way, good luck convincing your professor to give you a do over.
Students don’t need to be shielded from ‘F’s. Do you know anyone who has made it through school who did not fail at least one assignment? That doesn’t mean they’re stupid – it just means in that particular instance they perhaps didn’t work quite as hard or study quite as much as they should have. I imagine that grade did not return the next time. Failing grades are not death sentences – they’re wake up calls. They gave Dr. Carson and his mom a steely determination to succeed - and they can have the same response today.
Don’t ban zeroes, Virginia. Consider how rewarding it is for both student and teacher when those failing grades turn into perfect scores.
That means that 50 will be equal to zero.
The only way you could possibly get a zero is by not doing anything, or completely failing. Most teachers at the grade-school level give you at least 5 or 10 points just for putting your name and date on the page.
If you look at high school, different teachers do different things. Some drop up to one or two of your lowest scores over the semester/year, almost all teachers allow you to make corrections for half or quarter credit.
If a student is getting a zero (or even mostly 50s and below), there’s something seriously wrong with either the student or the teacher, and simply requiring a 50% isn;t going to help the student and figure out the problem. What happens is 50 becomes the new 0 baseline.
I was born and raised in Germany and went to school there. 1 was the the best you could get, followed by 2 3 4 and 5 as failing
There is a reason while I type that arrogant pos occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave while I start his last name with the number 0 and not the letter O
I hope you’re not serious
How else would we get our new Govt.employees ?
Reminds me of the “token” Lt. we got from Boston College ... was dumber than a fence post but had a nice personality and played well with others.
That looks like Navy variation on the old saw about knives and guns, never bring a Zero to an F18 fight :)
So a struggling student can put in lots of effort, and end up with a 47... and another kid can sit and shoot spitwads and disrupt the class and draw pictures all day and get the same grade, and mock the student for his effort. Great life lesson there.
They will become politicians where no intelligence, logic or common sense is needed...
“”but he also misspelled his name.””
He’s in Congress today, right?
VP material I’d say.
Socialism at it’s best.
Do they all get together, at the end of a class day -— and sing Kum Ba Yah?
Lets not offend the stupid
Since they’re not very bright, you could give them a negative number as their grade and they might be happy.
Geezz. This is old news. I teach at the lowest performing school in Gwinnett County (Georgia) , and we have been “encouraged” to give 50’s instead of 0’s for 4 to 5 years. Every year there is an article sent to us called “The power of 0”. It tells us the destructive effect of a 0 on a students grades and psyche. We are expected to give 50’s even if the students don’t turn in assignments. We are taken to the woodshed if we have more than 15% failure rate. Of course, this policy is never put in writing. It is always deniable.
You have to work pretty hard at doing nothing to get a zero anyway.
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