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Some teachers vow not to comply with new APS 'no zeros' grading policy

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Published  October 20, 2023 5:29pm EDT
Atlanta Public Schools
FOX 5 Atlanta

Teachers vow not to comply with new APS grading formula

Some teachers at Atlanta Public Schools say they will not comply with the school district's new controversial grading policy. The policy does not give zeros to students who fail to turn in work.

ATLANTA - The opposition to a change in how Atlanta Public School teachers are supposed to grade their students is not abating. In fact, some teachers vow they will not comply.

Under what's called the Infinite Campus grading formula, there has been an amendment that eliminates a low grade of 0. The change takes all those grades and boost them to a minimum score of 50.

RELATED: Controversial grading policy change at Atlanta schools has parents sounding off

Teachers and parents who are just finding out about this want the formula to remain as it has been.

If a child gets a zero, they are given a chance within a reasonable amount of time to bring the assignment in with some points taken off.

Atlanta Public Schools sign

RELATED: No more zeros: Atlanta Public Schools to make changes to grading system

After three days of looking at this controversy, top school officials provided FOX 5 with the following summary of what they say is taking place.

Statement from APS:

A long-standing provision of Administrative Regulation IHA-R(1) prohibits us from assigning a grade of zero to assignments not submitted by students. This restriction has been a part of our administrative regulation since 2015, if not before. Paragraph 1(g) of the Regulation says, "Students should not receive a grade of zero (0) for behavioral reasons such as failure to complete or hand in assignments…"

While our practices across the district have not aligned with Administrative Regulation IHA-R(1), a final decision has not yet been made regarding any recommended changes to our grading system. Our rationale for considering changes is that a student who gets a zero for a missing assignment will mathematically have a hard time recovering from that zero. However, we want to balance student accountability and mastery with best practices for providing our students with opportunities for success, and we plan to spend the next several weeks engaging with internal and external stakeholders about a potential change in our grading practices.