The focus of our education system often places tangible results above all else. What letter grade can a student get? What is the average GPA? What is the graduation rate? These are the tangible factors that are discussed when implementing school policies. However, in placing so much trust in these seemingly irrefutable numbers, we are forgetting that schooling is a community effort. The environment in which students are taught will influence students as much as the grades they get on their algebra exams. The environment of our schools has increasingly drifted towards a sense of complacency and a lack of responsibility.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools began implementing so-called no-zero policies, a process that only escalated during the pandemic. In general, a no-zero policy mandates that teachers grade all assignments — whether turned in two months late or half completed — with a nonzero grade. Some schools go even further, with some middle schools in South Carolina instructing teachers to give out a grade of 61% on all assignments even if the students cheated on them or did not turn them in. In Virginia, one school board mandated that students have “multiple opportunities” to turn in an assignment before getting a zero at the end of the year, and even then, the school board recommended teachers give out a score of 50% or higher. Proponents of such measures often argue that zeros are too discouraging for students and that if a student demonstrates an attempt to learn, then they deserve a passing grade.
Yet, it is clear that these policies do not help students in the slightest. While the attainment rate of A grades has drastically increased with these policies, the actual test scores of students have continued to drop. Teachers feel powerless to hold students accountable for inadequate work and minimal effort. The rate of chronic absenteeism has skyrocketed despite graduation numbers simultaneously increasing. Colleges and universities around the country are now spending nearly 7 billion dollars a year in remedial classes trying to bring unprepared students up to speed before they flunk out.
We have created a system where a student could feel like they could show up to classes twice a week, turn in little to no homework or assignments and still graduate with a high school diploma. Not only does this render high school diplomas meaningless in determining a person’s education level, but it also represents the fact that parts of our public education system have given up on actually educating their students. All we’re left with is a pretty-looking graduation rate and an average GPA inflated by negligence. These policies don’t help students achieve at a higher level. Instead, they are creating a permissive environment where all standards have gone out the window. School boards around the country need to take a hard look at the mirror and decide whether they are crafting such policies for the students or themselves.
