In 2015, teachers, administrators, parents, students and community members from across the city began working on updating the grading policies and guidelines for middle and high schools. The goal was to have more consistency in grading practices at the secondary level. VBCPS administration received feedback from the community on how to grade homework, late work and also the use of zeros. Overwhelming the feedback was to rely on the professional judgement of VBCPS’ outstanding teachers. That led to an update in policy during the fall of 2016, which called for teachers in each middle and high school to collaborate by grade level, subject area or as a whole school to develop and agree upon consistent grading practices to be used in their classrooms beginning with the 2017-18 school year.