South Carolina enacted legislation prohibiting school districts from implementing grading-floor policies, also known as nonzero grading systems. The law, which took effect July 1, prevents teachers from assigning minimum grades or scores that exceed students’ actual performance on required assignments. At least six of the state’s 80 school districts had previously adopted such policies, typically setting quarterly grade minimums at 50%.
Proponents of grading floors argued they served as safety nets, allowing students to recover from poor grades due to illness, family emergencies, or other unplanned circumstances. Supporters contended that minimum grades create equal point distributions across grade scales, preventing situations where a student could average an F despite earning some high marks. However, critics, including the bill’s sponsor state Rep. Fawn Pedalino, contended that grading floors undermined student accountability and allowed students to pass classes without demonstrating mastery of content.
The South Carolina law includes additional provisions requiring students to submit all assignments in a timely manner to be eligible for credit-recovery programs. Districts or schools failing to comply risk losing 10% of their state funding. The legislation also established a task force of educators, administrators, school board members, and students to examine statewide grading policies and recommend further changes. The South Carolina Association of School Administrators had opposed the bill, requesting a delay pending the task force’s work.
Education experts note that grading policies involve complex tradeoffs. Thomas Guskey, a University of Kentucky professor emeritus who has studied such policies, suggested that minimum grades represent a superficial fix for deeper systemic issues in how schools measure and communicate student progress. He advocated for simplified grading scales, such as 1-5 systems, rather than 100-point scales with floors, arguing this approach would improve consistency and clarity for students and parents.
Texas previously enacted a similar prohibition in 2009, and other states have criticized grading-floor policies. A 2024 survey found that 27% of teachers reported their school or district had a no-zeros policy, while 81% of respondents indicated that giving partial credit for unsubmitted assignments harms academic engagement.
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