At my placement, the math department has a no-fail policy. All students must score an 80% or above on all tests in order to receive full credit for a class. The tests are usually sectioned in to 2-3 parts with similar questions so that the student does not have to re-take the entire test but only the parts that they did not master 80% of the questions. The students can come after school, during lunch, or go to the school's testing center to retake tests.
I think this is a great idea because it gives the students extra chances to master the material. It sends the message that every student is capable of mastering the material by holding them to a high standard. Consequently, the teachers teach each lesson for mastery learning. Some have criticized this policy because some students can choose to not study for a test because he or she knows that it can be made up later. However, I think that the positives outweigh the negatives. Even if the school that I teach for next year does not have this policy (and there are no policies in place to discourage this practice), I think I will implement this in my own classroom. It seems to motivate students and it is a way to convey high teacher expectations.
What do you think? Would you implement this policy in your own classroom?
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