Teacher’s fired for giving zeros to students who didn’t turn in work – leaves goodbye note on board

It has been decided, I'm not sure by whom, but it has been decided in some school districts, including the one I retired from, that no zeros should ever be given on any assignment, ever. Even the assignments that aren't turned in should be given 50%. Our online grade book was set up to handle this requirement.

Unlike the Florida teacher in the article, we all mostly went along with it eventually. I didn't at first, because it is stupid, and because we were never trained on how to make it work in our grade book. Eventually I figured it out.

Part of the rationale for this practice is that it makes it harder for the student who has a bunch of zeros to their grade up once they decide to start doing the work. Or, if they have a bunch of scores below 50% that on work that they did turn in, it makes it hard for them to raise their grades once they understand the concepts and start getting better grades on things.

The problem is that most of the students who turn in little or no work don't care, and they continue to not to most of the work. Yes, there are exceptions, but very few of them. There are ways to work with those students in order to raise their grades to an acceptable level. And the students who continually score very poorly do so because they don't do the class work. And again, most of them never will.

Another part of the rationale for not giving zeros is based on the mathematical difference between a percentage scale, and the four point scale. Yes, there is a difference, and yes it is harder to raise one's grade from a zero than it is from a 50%. But it's also true that in order to show understanding of a concept, knowing something to less than 50% accuracy is not really knowing the concept. The percentage scale, including a zero for not turning the work in, gives the teacher that more accurate picture of a student's abilities and needs.

Then there is the matter or personal responsibility. At some time, in order to become a functioning adult, one must learn and adapt to this concept.

When it comes right down to it, however, she does not regret stand up for what she believes in. 

"A grade in Mrs. Tirado's class is earned," she said. 

"I'm so upset because we have a nation of kids that are expecting to get paid and live their life just for showing up and it's not real," she added. 

If we are concerned with motivating students, we need to concentrate on using more effective teaching strategies (phonics and beginning with basic skills) so that students can actually learn the material. Once they know they can learn and that they are learning, they will be less apt to give up, thinking that's it's all just too hard.

This controversy is just another dodge to avoid addressing the curriculum issue.