Portland Public Schools considers banning teachers from giving zeros as part of new "equitable" grading policy

Portland City Public Schools are adopting a new "equitable" grading policy. One thing that is sparking controversy: banning teachers from giving zeros. Teachers are not allowed to give a student a zero, even if they copy, cheat or don't do the assignment.

The public school district's initiative is intended to fight disparities and inequality. According to information from the Washington Free Beacon, the district started experimenting with these measures during the pandemic. Now, they are being applied on a trial basis in schools. The media outlet accessed a document sent to teachers with the new grading policy.

The end of the 0 to 100 grading scale

"We need to organize and consolidate our efforts towards common policies to more consistently and better support students and families with equitable grading," the school district stated in the document. The new policy replaces the traditional 0-100 grading scale with a new one from 0-4. The district claims it will be a more equitable grading practice.

According to the same sources, the new equitable grading practices are expected to go into effect throughout all schools in the district by 2025. Some schools in Portland have already begun working with them. The district's new practices are similar to what California imposed a few years ago when it tried to narrow the grade gap between gifted and lowest-performing students.

Award-winning absenteeism

This is not just happening in the United States. In European countries such as Spain, the Socialist government also passed a similar education reform banning teachers from giving zeros. A Spanish teacher told Voz Media that teachers are not even allowed to give zeros in cases of serious absenteeism, which often encourages students' negative attitudes.

Erika Sanzi, director of the parents' rights advocacy group Parents Defending Education told the Washington Free Beacon that "these equitable grading policies, however well intended, are a disaster for the students who struggle most and for the students who need accelerated coursework."