Edmonton teacher suspended for handing out zeros

[Dogpatch]

My mistake - This should be in The Ridicule Room

Edmonton teacher suspended for handing out zeros

01/06/2012 9:16:24 AM
CTVNews.ca Staff

An Edmonton high school teacher said he's been suspended for handing out zeros to students who didn't complete their work, bucking a "no-zero" policy at the school.

Lynden Dorval said he doesn't agree with the school's behavioural code that bans awarding a grade of zero for incomplete work.

Instead, the policy introduced at Ross Sheppard High School almost two years ago, treats unfinished work as a behavioural problem and not an academic one.

"So of course the student's marks are only based on the work they have actually done," Dorval told CTV Edmonton Thursday.

"It's just like in real life, there are always consequences for not doing things," the 35-year veteran teacher said.

Dorval's marking system didn't sit well with the school's principal Ron Bradley, who sent a letter to the Edmonton Public School Board asking for a replacement teacher.

The letter cites three incidents where Dorval reportedly went against the policy, dating back to 2011.

It also outlines a meeting where Bradley told Dorval to remove the zeros and replace them with the school-sanctioned codes.

The school board wouldn't confirm the reasons for Dorval's suspension. It did state it was a staff discipline issue.

However, board superintendent Edgar Schmidt said teachers are expected to follow assessment plans.

"When an assessment plan has been put in place at a school level, it's my expectation that every staff member will stick to that plan," he told CTV Edmonton.

Dorval told CTV the zeros he gave to students weren't permanent, saying it's important for students to learn about the "real world."

"The students know that in my case they're not permanent zeroes, it's just an indicator that they have to do something about it because this is how their mark is going to turn out if they don't," he said.

Students are somewhat perplexed by Dorval's suspension.

"If the student didn't do their work, why should they get any mark at all, so a zero sounds fine to me," Dimitri Muzychenko told CTV Edmonton.

Another student, Mohamad Al-Jabiri, thought the punishment was too harsh.

"What is he supposed to do? Like he's not going to run after the kids, it's high school, right?" he said.

Dorval plans to appeal his suspension.

With files from CTV Edmonton's Veronica Jubinville
http://news.sympatico.ctv.ca/home/edmon ... s/8e1544b1

[wildernessvoice]

In the 70's I taught at St Lawrence College.

I was told to use a letter grade only.
The problem?
As my students left and went on to higher halls of learning they were asked to produce a numerical grade. The solution? We left the student to work out his own problem.
I was told if I ever had a call I was to ask what level they were looking at. I was then to respond that that was exactly what the letter represented.

[RedDog]

How can no assignment being handed in be anything but a zero? There's nothing to grade. Nothing is zero.

[wildernessvoice]

How can no assignment being handed in be anything but a zero? There's nothing to grade. Nothing is zero.

..for having your name on the class list??

[Julian]

The teacher was waaaay off base.

Everybody knows you get one mark for spelling your name correctly!

[styky]

My mistake - This should be in The Ridicule Room

I moved it for you

[Ben Kenobi]

Gave out zeros and failed two students my first year. The mother of one sent me a card, saying thank you. Lit a fire under the kids ass to have to retake his year.

[Blaze Pascal]

I'm glad he's taking a stand like this and even risking his job to show the world how stupid this policy is. He's on the front page of the Edmonton Journal today and I hope he creams the school board in his appeal.

[styky]

Gave out zeros and failed two students my first year. The mother of one sent me a card, saying thank you. Lit a fire under the kids ass to have to retake his year.

Unfortunately those parents are too few and far between.

[The Devil's Advocate]

Gave out zeros and failed two students my first year. The mother of one sent me a card, saying thank you. Lit a fire under the kids ass to have to retake his year.

Unfortunately those parents are too few and far between.

If all the parents who though this policy should change stood in front of the doors to One Kingsway until it was, it would be gone in a week. That there was nearly universal shock at discovering the policy existed at all tells you how many people were even aware of it -- which means they probably should have been paying closer attention in the first place. As a parent of school-aged children, should you not endeavour to find out the policies that the school system has in place when its likely those policies will greatly affect their chance of success?

[richardson]

Gave out zeros and failed two students my first year. The mother of one sent me a card, saying thank you. Lit a fire under the kids ass to have to retake his year.

Unfortunately those parents are too few and far between.

If all the parents who though this policy should change stood in front of the doors to One Kingsway until it was, it would be gone in a week. That there was nearly universal shock at discovering the policy existed at all tells you how many people were even aware of it -- which means they probably should have been paying closer attention in the first place. As a parent of school-aged children, should you not endeavour to find out the policies that the school system has in place when its likely those policies will greatly affect their chance of success?

I doubt it. I wouldn't be surprised if it were pretty much entrenched across the country. The educational establishment, including professors in faculties of education and non-partisan officials in education ministries like this. In Quebec the lowest mark you can give a student on the provincial English exam is 35. All he or she has to do is show up and sign his or her name.

[The Devil's Advocate]

Gave out zeros and failed two students my first year. The mother of one sent me a card, saying thank you. Lit a fire under the kids ass to have to retake his year.

Unfortunately those parents are too few and far between.

If all the parents who though this policy should change stood in front of the doors to One Kingsway until it was, it would be gone in a week. That there was nearly universal shock at discovering the policy existed at all tells you how many people were even aware of it -- which means they probably should have been paying closer attention in the first place. As a parent of school-aged children, should you not endeavour to find out the policies that the school system has in place when its likely those policies will greatly affect their chance of success?

I doubt it. I wouldn't be surprised if it were pretty much entrenched across the country. The educational establishment, including professors in faculties of education and non-partisan officials in education ministries like this. In Quebec the lowest mark you can give a student on the provincial English exam is 35. All he or she has to do is show up and sign his or her name.

Perhaps we should be satisified they still offer classes in English at all.

Don't sell parents as a group short. If they really wanted to get something done, it would get done. But it has to be a priority, and it has to (more importantly) look like a priority. If someone can't make it to the school board meeting because the game is on then they are declaring loud and clear that they really don't care all that much.

[richardson]

part of the problem is that school boards are generally powerless for these matters. The decisions come from the Ministry, not by legislation by regulation.

The nature of the provincial English exam in Quebec indicates that someone has very cleverly discovered another way to eliminate English from the province. This is what they used 2 or 3 years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MjTb5A68VA

[Hailey]

People don't get to march to the beat of their own drummer. He's responsible for following the direction given to him or resign from his position if he finds that unacceptable.

[dave]

With 35 years under his belt, l think Dorval is making his final stand and is not too worried about the outcome.....l applaud him.