Do you give partial credit on assessments? Why or why not?

I've been an English teacher for about 7 years now. In the past, I have always given partial credit on assessments that are essay-based or questions that require a written response.<br><br>However, this past quarter when grades were due, I had a moral crisis and am seriously considering changing up how I grade written questions on quizzes and tests.<br><br>I had one student who bombed every test and quiz, scoring in the 40-50% range. However, she was an extremely hard worker, turned everything in, and did excellent on all classwork activities and projects. The student's overall grade was an 88% and was submitting work that was worthy of A's on classwork. <br><br>And then it hit me: this student is worthy of an A. She knows the material, she loves the material, and she is capable of demonstrating that she knows the material. She put in the effort to learn the material. She should not be penalized because of the one area that she isn't as strong in.<br><br>why should tests and quizzes be weighted so heavily on the grade? What should the grade even measure?<br><br>I am seriously considering moving towards giving full credit for a good-faith effort when it comes to quizzes and tests. I want to emphasize the moral effort and the fact that a student is putting in the work to learn.<br><br>Thoughts?<br><br>Edit: Okay so I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who commented. It's been really interesting to see what you all have to say and I appreciate your input so much. I think it's really important to have these kinds of discussions about grading and how it should be approached.<br><br>Alright, so here was my experience with no partial credit for the test today: it was...mixed. Overall, it seemed to improve morale and I was happy to see students who struggled with the multiple-choice section feel less discouraged.<br><br>However, there were a few students who decided not to take the written section seriously and did not make a good-faith effort. It was clear that they were just goofing off and there was no effort put in. I was a bit disappointed in those students because it was clear they knew better and were taking advantage of the system.<br><br>I also had a student approach me privately and express his concerns about the change in policy. He felt that if a student didn't put in the effort, they shouldn't receive the same grade as someone who did. He shared an anecdote about how he received 100% on the last test and felt it was unfair that someone who didn't try as hard was also receiving 100%.<br><br>Overall, I think I'm going to have to make a few adjustments. I think I might attach a rubric that outlines what a "good-faith effort" looks like and have the student sign off on having done their best. I also might include a self-assessment component where students reflect on their effort and give themselves a grade.