Zero the new 50?

Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008 | 2:01 a.m.

At some Clark County schools, students who don’t turn in any of their homework and score zero on tests still receive a minimum grade of 50 percent.

The Las Vegas Sun reported Monday that advocates of the policy say it gives failing students a chance and the incentive to improve their grades before the end of the school year. Otherwise, for instance, it would be possible for a student who receives a string of zeros on assignments to fail the semester or an entire school year even if he makes huge academic improvements later.

The Clark County School District has no policy regarding what constitutes a minimum grade for an F, leaving that decision to each school.

The parent of a student at Thurman White Middle School, where 50 is the lowest score a student can earn, told Sun reporter Emily Richmond that she is not sure the policy teaches children the right message.

Children eventually will have “to go into the real world,” the mother said. “What happens when someone isn’t going to give them 50 points for doing nothing?”

It’s a good question, and one for which, in our view, the advocates of this policy simply don’t have a good enough answer.

Certainly, some children do poorly in school for reasons beyond their control family tragedies, illness or even learning disabilities that have not been pinpointed.

But we would venture to guess that these are the exceptions rather than the rule, and that most teachers are adept at identifying children who are having difficulties and will work with them.

Part of going to school is learning how to correctly complete tasks that have been assigned and finishing them on time. Children should receive the grades they have earned even if that grade is a zero.