Grading in the Midst of a Pandemic

The benefits of ‘no zero’ and other modified practices ought to long outlast the learning challenges of the moment

Waterbury, Conn., superintendent Verna Ruffin noticed early on during the pandemic that students had taken on some demanding and necessary roles outside of their academic responsibilities. They were serving as caregivers and money earners for their families.

During the economic and social upheaval brought on by the coronavirus, the 18,000-student Waterbury schools made temporary changes in their grading policies last spring because of the inequities associated with the brisk transition to online learning. Water-bury, along with other districts nationwide, quickly adopted “do no harm” grading practices such as freezing existing grades and providing students with the option of pass/fail grades.

When students resumed school last fall in fully remote, hybrid or in-person settings, many schools returned to their previous grading practices. Once national and regional news media shared stories of widespread failures among students in the fall and winter, some schools decided again to reevaluate their grading practices.