Edmonton teacher suspended for giving 0s

[SWTORFanatic]

67. Quote

"I'd also like to point out that it is entirely possible to measure, recognize, and reward achievements without the counterpart of punishing for failures. When you take a test to get your driver's license, they don't care if it's the first time you're taking it or the fourth. If you can pass the test you get your license. If not, you try again next month. They don't average all your tests together. And no one argues that driver's license test results are "inflated" or that BMVs have knuckled under to pressure from from driver's license applicants and their parents."

Yeah but you have to do this in a manner that is fair and consistent with other students. Trust me, I teach at the COLLEGE level and the dean does not give me ANY LEEWAY on say, giving someone a higher grade because they did horrible at the start of the semester and then all of a sudden did well at the end, unless it is consistent with the other students.

In other words, I can't arbitrarily give someone an A or a B if they got 20s on their first two tests and 90s on their second two. Unless I put it in my syllabus. But then even if I do people will say the first two tests are a complete waste. Or they'll complain about how they did well on the first two and poorly on the second two and how is that fair ETC.

The best I can do is put in their syllabus I will drop their lowest test score (except the final exam). I can't imagine how handcuffed high school teachers are.

Having said that, the one thing I can say about giving zeroes that this teacher could have fixed.... is put the assignments (other than tests) all online and make them "self graded". Then let the students take them whenever they wanted (up until the end of the semester).