Because course grades get averaged, a student who receives just one zero can be dragged down more than a perfect score can lift them.

The grades that students receive in high school and college can decide their futures. High school grades shape students’ overall GPA, class rank and the transcripts that colleges read. They can determine who makes the college sports team and who earns the scholarship.

Yet some parents may not realize that in a rising number of U.S. schools, students will never receive a score of zero – even if they never turn in a paper or answer every question wrong on an exam.

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.