Lauren Gonzaba

10/30/2014
UTL640E, Haug
Reader Response 4

Reader Response #4
A different but related debate that has emerged in recent yearsis the policy in a
growing number of districts of allowing no zeros, even if the student did not turn in anything;
typically, the rationale is that they were there and must have learned something. (Burke 326).

I have always found this topic to be quite tricky, as I am sure many others have, because
I like the idea of the student being able to show he learned something, but I also like the idea of
consequences. My high school teachers used Incompletes for big assignments students had
not turned in, but gave zeros for smaller assignments the students never turned in. I would like
to think I will be able to mark all missing assignments in my gradebook as Incomplete, but
how long should we give the student to fix their grade? Should we give them a few days, and if
it isnt turned in by then, its a 70 in the gradebook? I think 70 may be a little too generous for
those students who take longer than a few days to turn in their work. I think a zero can be a
good tactic to scare a child (yes, I know we shouldnt scare them) into doing their work, and
then changing their grade to a 65 when the assignment is done. I still have to work out the
details, but I think I may stick to giving the missing bigger assignments Incompletes, and
giving smaller assignments zeros (then changed to a 65 or whatever the student work
deserves).

Works Cited
Burke, Jim. The English Teacher's Companion: A Completely New Guide to Classroom, Curriculum, and
the Profession. 4th ed. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2013. Print.