The no-zero policy is a hotly debated and emotionally charged topic.As a virtual school, NCVPS faces unique barriers not faced at the traditional brick-and-mortar schools. Many of our students, parents, and districts are new to the virtual learning environment. Our teachers have students who are spread out across the state, and we see a wide variety of support from district to district.
To help overcome these barriers, we adopted the no-zero policy, along with an array of other procedures, to increase student success.
The heart of a no-zero policy is not an attack on the number 0. It is, instead, a reevaluation of the weight . . . the disproportional weight . . . of failing grades.
Passing grades (A, B, C and D) are broken down in increments of 8 from 70 to 100, but there is a 70-point spread for the failing grade of F. With that margin, a failing grade is weighted 9 times heavier than a passing grade. And it’s a margin that is often mathematically impossible for struggling students to overcome.
Why would we stack failing grades against a struggling student? What purpose does it serve, and how does it help the student find success?
Those are the questions at the heart of the no-zero policy.
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