The+Zero

=The Zero=

**Fix 12: Don’t include zeros in grade determination when evidence is missing or as punishment. Use alternatives, such as reassessing to determine real achievement or use “I” for Incomplete or Insufficeint Evidence.**

There are three fundamental problems with zeros:
The best alternative to the use of zeros is the use of an **“I”** for ** Incomplete **or Insufficient Evidence. An ** Incomplete ** clearly places the responsibility with the student who must then produce evidence required so the teacher can make a valid summary judgment. Another benefit is that while zeros can doom students to failure very early in the school year, an I** ncomplete ** can always be made complete or sufficient. Schools need to have clear procedures and **timelines** for students to move from an ** Incomplete ** to a letter grade that accurately represents their achievement. This is a positive, supportive approach that is likely to be much more effective in promoting further learning than is the negative and punitve impact of zeros. = =
 * 1) **Zeros give a numerical value to something that has never been assessed and therefore has no basis in reality**. Assigning a zero to something that has not been seen compromises the accuracy of the grade, and can lead to poor quality decisions about students and their learning.
 * 2) **Zeros can have counterproductive effects on student motivation.** As soon as students have more than one zero, they have little chance of recovery, increasing the likelihood that they will give up. A potential side effect is that students who have given up often have discipline problems. Another motivational problem is that students who are not concerned about grades are willing to “take a zero” and are thus not held accountable for their learning.
 * 3) ** Zeros involve inappropriate mathematics. ** Zeros represent very extreme scores, and their effect on the grade is always exaggerated.

According to Doublas B. Reeves in his //Educational Leadership// February 2008 article, Effective Grading Practices,"Defenders of the zero claim that students need to have consequences for flouting the teacher's authority and failing to turn in work on time. They're right, but the appropriate consequence is not a zero; it's //completing the work//—before, during, or after school, during study periods, at "quiet tables" at lunch, or in other settings."

**Fix 4: Don't punish academic dishonesty with reduced grades; apply other consequences and reassess to determine actual level of achievement.**

If a student cheats on a test or an assignment, a typical response is to give the student a zero for the assignment. According to O'Connor, this distorts assessment of student achievement. The fix for this is to require the student to redo the test or assignment (with perhaps another version of the test) in order to accurately assess learning. The student’s inappropriate behavior can be addressed by a disciplinary action such as detention.Schools should have clear policies on what academic honesty is and what the consequences of dishonesty are.