Current Events > Teacher fired for giving students zeros on assignments not turned in

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https://wlos.com/news/nation-world/teacher-says-she-was-fired-for-giving-zeroes-to-students-who-didnt-turn-in-their-work-09-25-2018-134627104

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (WPEC) A teacher in Port St. Lucie, Florida claims she was fired for refusing to give students partial credit for work that is never handed in.

I got fired. I was packing my stuff, and I was not going to see the kids, Diane Tirado said.

Mrs. Tirado didnt get to say goodbye to her student physically, so she wrote her message on a whiteboard instead.

Bye kids, Mrs. Tirado loves you and wishes you the best in life! I have been fired for refusing to give you a 50% for not handing anything in. [heart] Mrs. Tirado.

She snapped a photo of it and shared it on Facebook. Then, the messages from her eighth-grade students started pouring in.

You showed me to be responsible for my work and the things that I do. I hope you dont forget me, one student wrote.

Mrs. Tirado has been a teacher for more than 17 years. The 52-year-old began working at West Gate K-8 School this year as an eighth-grade social studies teacher.

She says she gave her students two weeks to complete an explorers notebook project but says some of them didnt turn it in.

Thats when she says she learned about a no-zero grading policy, written in red in the schools handbook, stating, NO ZEROS LOWEST POSSIBLE GRADE IS 50%.

Tirado says this sends the wrong message.

If theres nothing to grade, how can I give somebody a 50 percent? she asked.

Her Sept. 14 termination letter doesnt cite a specific reason, only stating she was contracted as a teacher on a probation period, and that she can be dismissed without cause.

Her message on her classrooms whiteboard has been shared hundreds of times, with messages from other parents and teachers congratulating her on standing her ground.

Tonight, she is calling for change because she believes the grading policy at West Gate K-8 School wont help students in the long run.

Im arguing the fact that you dont get something for nothing. I want the policy changed, and its not just here, she said.

There are zeros found in the grading scale above the no zeros wording on the West Gate Student and Parent Handbook, which adds confusion, Tirado said.

WPEC is still waiting to hear back from St. Lucie Public Schools as of late Monday night.

This policy explains a lot about Florida
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Millennials will be blamed for this somehow
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I'm sure this isn't a one sided story of the events.
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this is how they keep their scores up. the school system needs a complete overhaul....however the idiot in charge of that isn't capable so i say we just wait for the next admin...
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I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that there is probably more to the story than is being presented
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voldothegr8 posted...

claims

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Anarchy_Juiblex posted...

I'm sure this isn't a one sided story of the events.

eston posted...

I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that there is probably more to the story than is being presented

Seems pretty cut and dry. School systems do this kinda shady stuff a lot so I don't understand the suspicion?

If more info comes out then yeah but right now there's no cause for it.
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Anarchy_Juiblex posted...

I'm sure this isn't a one sided story of the events.

eston posted...

I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that there is probably more to the story than is being presented

Nothing more that I can find. She was on 6 month probation like most public jobs, didn't agree with the school's "no lower than 50%" policy so they let her go.
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Yeah, that's a bad policy and the school is cheating. Not helpful to anyone really.
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Vyrulisse posted...

Anarchy_Juiblex posted...

I'm sure this isn't a one sided story of the events.

eston posted...

I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that there is probably more to the story than is being presented

Seems pretty cut and dry. School systems do this kinda shady stuff a lot so I don't understand the suspicion?

If more info comes out then yeah but right now there's no cause for it.

The story gives me the same vibe as those frequent "I got modded because a mod disagreed with my opinion" topics and it turns out the OP told someone to go kill himself or something
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When I wouldn't turn shit in I'd get a zero...what is wrong with this? The next generation is going to be dumber than millennials.
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Isn't that the same as the no child left behind thingy?
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Shit I definitely got zeros for shit I didnt turn in.
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Fair. Next.
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I don't know if this teacher's story is completely true or not, but I've definitely watched interviews with frustrated educators who admitted that they aren't really allowed to fail students because it would threaten the school's funding.
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Muffinz0rz posted...

Millennials will be blamed for this somehow

Probably, when it's millenials' parents who actually caused this.

Fuck that. A zero percent grade on an assignment that isnt turned in is preparation for life.

If you miss a deadline at work, youre fired.

Sometimes my teachers would accept papers a day late for 10% off the total grade.
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M_Live posted...

VipaGTS posted...

this is how they keep their scores up. the school system needs a complete overhaul....however the idiot in charge of that isn't capable so i say we just wait for the next admin...

This stems from the Bush era, no child left behind, doesn't it?

That started it. Obama signed Every Student Succeeds Act which modified NCLB.
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southcoast09 posted...

Fuck that. A zero percent grade on an assignment that isnt turned in is preparation for life.

If you miss a deadline at work, youre fired.

Sometimes my teachers would accept papers a day late for 10% off the total grade.

Where the analogy fails, is that you can't just take the zero and move on, in adult life. That shit needs done, and you're going to end up working long hours until it is - then get fired.

literal fuel for future florida man news
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This is the world that liberals want
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This was how it was my whole school career? Why would you get points for work you didnt do or have proof if doing?
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GregShmedley posted...

I believe her.

My schools did this from elementary to high school. NCLB started it and I remember my teachers hating it. They thought it was bullshit.

John_Galt posted...

This is the world that liberals want

CE users are the children left behind.
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my dad used to work at a for-profit university, like DeVry or whatever. he said his boss was mad at him for failing students because if they got kicked out, the school couldn't get their grant money anymore.
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This is the Leftist Teachings that are being passed onto the next generation.

Where you can't "Really Fail" and do everything to manipulate the #'s for that sweet sweet funding.

It's ABSOLUTELY disgusting!
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Teacher's shouldn't be able to be punished for kids failing out or schools losing funding.
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this is the world conservatives want
where children cant fail and thus dont gain a real education and thus are to uneducated to become liberals
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But the parents of millenials are not millenials so that must mean...

KillerKhan420 posted...

When I wouldn't turn shit in I'd get a zero...what is wrong with this? The next generation is going to be dumber than millennials.

Chances are you are a millennial and have a marijuana addiction so don't talk shit. Everyone wants to point fingers at millennials calling us lazy when the content that we were raised on and who we modeled ourselves after are the previous generations.

yusiko posted...

this is the world conservatives want
where children cant fail and thus dont gain a real education and thus are to uneducated to become liberals

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these are most likely millennial parents
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Just remember, you can't change a policy by refusing to do your job and getting fired due to said policy.

If you don't like something, you have to be part of it to change it.
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eston posted...

I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that there is probably more to the story than is being presented

Probably not. A lot of state and federal aid is tied to overall school performance and a bunch of zeroes can potentially drag the school average down enough to disqualify them for certain financial packages. They're probably taking such a hard line because the school's funding is at risk.
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My entire poor GPA from fourth grade through high school revolved around zeroes
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The uneducated vote republican thats why they want Americans to stay dumb
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Yeah, this isn't about her ability as a teacher. This is about a school trying to play the system to safeguard their budget.

Forgettable posted...

s0nicfan posted...

state and federal aid is tied to overall school performance

Why does America think this is a good idea?

I don't fault the concept. You should be able to measure the effectiveness of a teacher or even a whole school, but the current implementation is too broad and incentivizes schools to cheat.
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The idea behind this is that you are grading someone for no evidence.

In my University classes for Education, I was told that it becomes a grey area because you are judging someone's academic acumen based on behaviour, not evidence.

While I personally think it's BS since part of our job is also to get students eventually ready to join society as engaged citizens, I get it on a fundamental level.
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Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

The idea behind this is that you are grading someone for no evidence.

In my University classes for Education, I was told that it becomes a grey area because you are judging someone's academic acumen based on behaviour, not evidence.

So I guess that college is also against grade reduction for late work?

Dragonblade01 posted...

Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

The idea behind this is that you are grading someone for no evidence.

In my University classes for Education, I was told that it becomes a grey area because you are judging someone's academic acumen based on behaviour, not evidence.

So I guess that college is also against grade reduction for late work?

Of course not. Different expectations for University Students as compared to public school.

Like I said, I don't agree in the least. That is just the mental gymnastics they play to justify it.
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Beside it not helping, if my job says to do something, i do it. If i have a moral objection, they fire me.
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Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

The idea behind this is that you are grading someone for no evidence.

Which makes more sense?

No evidence = 0%
No evidence = 50%
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voldothegr8 posted...

Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

The idea behind this is that you are grading someone for no evidence.

Which makes more sense?

No evidence = 0%
No evidence = 50%

We're supposed to give an NC (Not Complete) and weigh other stuff more heavily to compensate, apparently. This is outside of tests, which if they are not there to actually do them cannot really be weighed differently.
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This is not the right way to implement no child left behind

First of all, the policy has pros and cons. But, it's important to look at what it is, what its effects are, and why it's implemented.

To start with, the idea isn't that you're getting a "0%", but that there's a higher minimum floor. An A is 100-90, a B is 89-80, C 79-70, D 69-60, F 59-50. By awarding 50% to incomplete work, you're not rewarding more, you're punishing less.

Why? It may seem crazy, but kids aren't adults and shouldn't necessarily be held to the same standards. Furthermore, school isn't work - you (or most adults) can choose their profession, children can't even choose what school they go to, let alone their subjects. If school was treated like work, it would look vastly different - probably more like trade schools.
And, again, it's important to understand that these aren't adults, but children. Children have little to no choice over their home life. The kids frequently not handing in assignments are likely the ones with serious issues - abuse, homelessness, poor access to food, and so on. If you're comparing homework to professional work, you're just completely off-track.

But, what is it meant to accomplish? By raising the floor, kids have a track to succeed should the be able to turn their situation around. Getting a 0% on a test could mean the student has no chance to get better than a F or D. But, getting a 50% on a test will let students raise their grades if they work for it. In the former case, children are actually incentivized to care less, since there's less they can do to show improvement (they'll act up more, pay less attention, etc.) It's like forfeiting in a game, why should they waste their time on something they've already lost. In the latter case, they have some incentive to continue trying.
In the end, your grade should represent what you've learned and mastered, not necessarily what you started with. By raising the floor, grades better reflect this goal.

Again, it's far from a perfect system. It certainly rewards people who just fail more than people who consistently try, but still fail. It also may take some work to understand higher average grades - but that doesn't matter from a top-down perspective, which is where the competition is.
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