Zeroes aren’t permitted is not permitted.

Published on November 13, 2018

Last updated on November 1, 2024

I’ve done ZAP in previous schools and, like most “fixes” in education, it’s a bandaid for an arterial wound.

The issue is not that kids are getting zeroes, but it’s easier for us to say zeroes are the problem because then we don’t have to change anything. We just have to stop teaching and force kids to do the work.

In a ZAP scenario, there’s no focus on what the assignments look like or if they are meaningful. The focus is still on compliance and doing the work.

We can spend all the time in the world on doing the wrong things and not go anywhere.

We need to take a critical look at why our students aren’t doing the work.

We also need to take a critical look at what our assignments are. If they are not relevant, that is a pretty good reason for kids to not want to do them.