Pulse #18: Is Grading Without Zeroes Fair or Lowering the Bar?

We’re holding the Minneapolis community in our thoughts this week. 💙

Here’s what district leaders should watch this school year:

Veteran leaders stress that listening is more powerful than talking and that the best superintendents build a shared vision with their community. They also caution new leaders to go slow to go fast by first building trust and relationships before launching big initiatives. Teachers add that superintendents should be present in schools and engage directly with staff to strengthen trust and teaching.

Digital literacy is shifting from basic tech use to competencies that blend AI, ethics, and adaptability. By 2030, students and workers will need to:

We covered four here, check out the article for the rest.

A new national survey shows about one in four schools have no-zeroes grading policies, but most teachers oppose them, saying partial credit for missing work discourages effort. Supporters argue the approach gives students a fairer chance to recover from setbacks, while critics worry it lowers expectations and motivation. Teachers were also split on other equitable grading practices like late work without penalty and test retakes, highlighting the ongoing tension between fairness and accountability in grading.

Schools are being urged to prioritize skills like emotional awareness, collaboration, and complex problem-solving, which remain essential even as technology advances. Teachers can weave these into lessons through reflective prompts, authentic projects, and by protecting the classroom as a space for hands-on learning.

Before the pandemic, tutoring looked like one of the most effective ways to boost learning. But large-scale programs since then have only added a month or two of progress, mostly because students aren’t getting enough minutes and schools struggle with scheduling and staffing. Smaller, less expensive models worked about the same as pricier ones, so the focus now is on targeting tutoring to the students who will benefit most.

The U.S. Department of Education has rescinded Obama-era guidance that helped districts ensure English learners had equal access to high-quality education. The move, part of the Trump administration’s push to prioritize English above other languages, follows the closure of the Office of English Language Acquisition earlier this year. This comes even as the number of English learners in public schools continues to rise.

Too often, schools confuse empathy with low expectations, leaving students with disabilities underchallenged and disengaged. Research shows most want to go to college, yet many are denied access to grade-level work and meaningful opportunities to grow. Schools can raise expectations by scaffolding grade-level tasks, giving authentic feedback, and involving students in setting and owning their goals.

[Why States Must Lead on Education R&D] Public education still runs on a century-old model, leaving it slow to adapt to students’ needs. States like Washington, Wyoming, Virginia, and Massachusetts are showing how research and development can test new approaches, from mastery-based learning to lab schools. Building R&D capacity, empowering local pilots, and creating strong data systems are key steps to spread innovation systemwide.

[The Power of Back Channels] Tech directors often work without a built-in peer group, so many rely on channels like Slack and Discord to swap solutions, share warnings, and support each other. These networks have helped districts avoid bad purchases, respond quickly to crises like data breaches, and even spot viral TikTok risks before they spread. These back channels are becoming essential peer-led problem solvers.

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