The teachers and staff at West Middle School do not believe in giving students zeroes. As a matter of practice, the teachers take every opportunity to assist kids in being successful with their homework, even when it is late and even if it means “zapping” them.
No, it’s not a buzzer or taser-like shocking device.
ZAP, which stands for Zeroes Aren’t Permitted, is a program in place at West Middle that sends students who do not turn in their homework on the day it is due on the fast-track for getting their homework done. That means being required to stay after school until an assignment is completed.
“ZAP has been helping me straighten up,” said 8th grader Brian Gonzales, who was zapped once as a 7th grader. “At first I was kind of worried about it because I didn’t know what to do, but when the teachers explained it, I said, ‘okay.’ Everything was good the next day when I turned it in.”
Getting zapped is not punitive in nature. It’s quite the opposite of doling out failing grades or sending children through disciplinary channels when the youngsters may simply need extra help understanding concepts that will allow them to successfully complete their assignments.
“We looked at the data for the number of kids who were failing two or more core classes to find out why one-third of our student population was attending summer school,” said Dr. Steve Sandbothe, principal at West Middle School.
Kids were not doing their homework. Sandbothe said the school responded last year by incorporating the ZAP model. This year, they are seeing encouraging results. “We dropped our retention rate by 71 percent and our failure rate by 52 percent,” Sandbothe added.
“The best component of ZAP requires a parent contact by the teacher,” Sandbothe said. Teachers speak to the parents when their child receives a ZAP, and advisory teachers receive a list of students who must stay for ZAP.
Parents see ZAP as a productive alternative to aid in their children’s success.
When Brian’s mom, Jennifer Gonzales, first heard about ZAP last year, she just thought it was another good program. “I didn’t feel my kid was going to need to use it because he was a good child and making good grades.” That is, until Brian broke his arm this year. The one he uses to write. Teachers were very supportive and understanding. The cast was on 8-9 weeks. His mom said that’s when Brian got a bit lazy in the “turning in your homework” department. ZAP.
“He was using the arm as an excuse,” the mother concludes. ‘They call you and let you know,” she said. “If it’s not turned in, they call you again—then you can make sure he gets it in,” she added.
Students receive a copy of the ZAP pink slip and they must sign in to complete their homework in the ZAP classroom after school. ZAP slips are attached to all late assignments and turned in to the office.
If kids miss an assigned after school ZAP, they may find themselves completing their homework in the principal’s office as they eat lunch the next day. Consider it a working lunch.
Forgetfulness can be problematic as well. “Sometimes he had the work, which he finished at home and it was still in his folder,” the mother said. “He got out the habit of turning it in.”
Getting zapped does not excuse turning in late assignments. It is at the teacher’s discretion whether to deduct from percentage of the grade, based upon how soon the homework is turned in.
“Instead of a zero on your homework, I turn it in the next day and get a 90 instead of 100, and it’s still good,” Brian added.
“ZAP is not a program to help all students get A’s. It specifically addresses students who do not turn in their homework on the day it is due,” the principal reminds.
If a teacher has several students that have been zapped, the teacher stays after school with the students to make sure they are on the right track as they work on their homework independently. “We have 30, 40, 50 kids a night,” Sandbothe said. “Half of staff is here till 4:00 to help the students.”
“It’s a lot of work for them probably, but it helps the students because it keeps them from getting zeroes,” Brian’s mother concludes.
The concept is catching on. Some teachers at West are developing their own ZAP-like programs to assist students with longer-term projects.
Students can also stay after school on their own if they need extra help with homework. There are teachers, teaching assistants, and student A+ tutors available to assist them.
Brian says ZAP has helped make him a better student for high school next year. “I think I will be more organized than in middle school. I think I’ll be more prepared,” he said. “Teachers also explained that zapping is not an option in high school,” he added.
Dr. Sandbothe states it very simply: “We don’t give zeroes. You’re going to do your homework because we’re not going to let you not do it.”