Is an F grade worth zero or 50?
June 2008
Rick Wormeli
"We don't really need a gradiation of failure...It's the difference between 'you failed' or 'you really, really, super-sonic failed."
A recent USAToday article "At Some Schools, Failure Goes from Zero to 60" sparked a debate among educators about whether a failing grade is worth 50 or zero. Rick Wormeli, author of Fair Isn't Always Equal and Differentiation, weighed in on the debate during a podcast on the National Association of Secondary School Principals website.
Rick argues that assigning a grade of zero makes it almost mathematically impossible for a student to overcome that grade in later assignments and school work. He says that while a grade of 50 is still failing and it still sends the same message, students have the chance to correct that grade.
"Just like we don't want an 'A' to have an undue inflationary influence, we don't want an 'F' to have an undue deflationary influence," Rick explains.
Listen to the complete podcast and read the USAToday article
Read more about Rick Wormeli.
