Zero support for no-zero policies
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy is pleased to release a groundbreaking study by Frontier’s education research fellow Michael Zwaagstra. The study, entitled Zero Support for No-Zero Policies, demonstrates why schools should avoid no-zero grading policies.
“No-zero policies lack empirical research support, interfere with the professional autonomy of teachers, and are highly unpopular with parents,” argues Zwaagstra. “School administrators who choose to implement no-zero policies do so in spite of the evidence, not because of it.”
Zwaagstra evaluates the writings of prominent no-zero advocates and finds that they fail to substantiate their claims with hard evidence. “A close examination of the books and articles written by no-zero advocates shows that their arguments are based more on ideology than evidence,” notes Zwaagstra.
The no-zero policy debate was brought to national attention earlier this year with the suspension of high school physics teacher Lynden Dorval by the Edmonton Public School Board. In response to this controversy, trustees in Edmonton are about to begin a comprehensive review of their assessment policy. Zero Support for No-Zero Policies makes it clear that school boards should stay away from no-zero policies.
