The Biggest Mistake I Made as a Teacher

The problem

I've wrestled with the "no zero" policy for most of my educational career. As a teacher, I fought against it, holding fast to an idea that giving zeros for missing work was an effective way to reward students who meet deadlines and influenced change in those that didn't. That zero really could be a wake up call, alerting students and parents to a potential problem. It was only at the very end, probably my last 3 years, that I realized that what was happening was not exactly what I was hoping for. 

Yes, my top end kids really responded to their grade suddenly and dramatically dropping. But for my middle of the road students, that same dramatic drop was a too often a death sentence. Once they fell below a C it was all but over. Sometimes this was not even after the 1st quarter was finished. No matter how well they did the remainder of the way, they simply could not overcome the mathematical consequences of a zero. And for my at risk students, well the results were even worse. They wouldn't even try to overcome the zero. They were done. 

It was frustrating because I felt like I had no answer. I also felt like I was letting my students down by not being able to find a way to convince them to turn in their work on time. I often wondered, what other options were out there. Of course, while I was teaching and coaching I didn't have much extra time to search for answers.

Since I've become an administrator, I've researched this issue quite a bit. I was interested, because NOT giving zeros for missing assignments seemed so counter-intuitive to me. If I ever received one, I would definitely be motivated to complete the assignment. I also saw it motivate some students in my classes to do the same, so it HAS to be good practice, right? There were probably many other reasons why over half my class struggled at some point with missing deadlines. I was sure I would discover those reasons at some point.

After four years or research, what I've found has led me to one of the most abrupt 180s in my educational career:

• There are no studies that support the effective use of zeros for missing assignments. None. Zip. Zilch.
• What research showed me is that a zero distorts the final grade (Wormeli), diminishes fairness and equity (Dweck), and on a 100 point scale, is something that students most likely cannot recover from (Reves, Jung, and O'Connor). Despite this, teachers continue to argue that grading as punishment works (Miller), despite over 100 years of overwhelming research that suggests it does not (Guskey, Reves).

Being in the position I'm in now, I understand the gravity of a failing grade. I get to see the long term implications of a student earning even a single F. It's startling and heart breaking. I never fully understood that from my classroom. That's why it is a big deal to me, and why I will continue to train my teachers not to use zeros in this manner. 

What are the alternatives? It begins with a change of mindset to what your grades should be. I challenge my teachers to make it about the learning. The percentage that goes in the book must reflect what the student can demonstrate they know in relation to the priority standards. You can have an additional reporting system that addresses behaviors, such as missing deadlines. Marzano, Stiggins, Wormelli and Reeves all agree that the best approach is to keep the two ideas separate. They would argue that a zero means a student demonstrates absolutely no proficiency in a given skill, even with teacher assistance, not that it's a placeholder for a missing assignment.

Beyond the mindset shift, here are a few practical strategies your teachers can try with students that struggle to turn things in on time.

• Use technology. Show students how they can use calendars to help them be better organized and how to set reminders to alert them to deadlines. Along those same lines, if you have the ability to put things online, you will at least be able to see how far the student progressed even if they don't turn in a finished product by the due date. This will allow you to make a more accurate judgment of their learning.
• Schedule one on one conferences. Seek out conferences with those students you know will struggle meeting deadlines. The more proactive you can be, the better. This is your chance to get to the bottom of any deadline issue, so you won't want to wait until things are out of hand. These meetings are even better if you include the parents.
• Offer alternative measures. You have writers, painters, singers, and movie makers in your classrooms. I realize that sometimes you must give common assessments, but not everything has to be like that. Try giving options to play to your students' strengths. There are tons of ways to demonstrate learning other than a paper/pencil assessments. When in doubt, ask the student.
• Stop grading crap you don't need to. If it's practice, let it be practice. If you still give homework, let that also be practice. Instead, focus on grading the things that demonstrate learning in authentic contexts.
• Be multiple and stay current. Embedding critical skills in multiple units of instruction gives students many chances to demonstrate their learning. More importantly, it shows you were they are in the moment. It is also important to remember, a student's grade should reflect where they were on their best day. You guessed it, I'm not a big fan of averaging your grades. This was the second biggest mistake I made as a teacher.
• Be realistic. You aren't going to be able to fix every problem, but you can move toward ensuring your gradebook reflects student learning as accurately as possible. At the end of the day, if they can't demonstrate proficiency, even with your help, you have to put something in the book. Just do what you can to make that a last resort.

I hope at the very least those of you who use zeros as a way to deal with missing assignments take some time to reflect. I'd love to start a conversation in the comments below with folks from either side of the issue. As I mentioned before, it's about the learning.