My Grading Policy
I try to be as clear as possible when grading. I will almost never put simply a "zero" for a score; I will, instead, try to explain why you don't have a score. Please see the left list which explains which scores represent a zero. The right list explains which scores do not count against students.
Attendance Scores
Actual attendance does not count against a student. However, for your convenience (so you don't have to switch from screen to screen), I keep a tracking score of daily attendance in the grades. The possible scores are HERE, ABSENT, and TARDY. These are just to identify why your student may not have turned in an assignment or why he or she performed poorly on a quiz.
The Zero Score
It's extremely unusual for me to give a student a zero. I try to always put in a score that represents WHY a student got a zero. Rarely, a student will receive a zero on a quiz because he or she did not know any of the answers. Otherwise, scores should reflect why no credit at all was given.