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An example of what extra credit should not be: A middle schooler rushes in to see me three days before the end of the term. "I need some extra credit! I have to get my grade up to an A- before report cards!" (Grade currently a C.)
Maybe some teacher had let them do this sort of thing, but it didn't make sense to me. I did make extra credit available, but there were restrictions:
1. No one with a D or F could do extra credit.
2. No extra credit could be turned in during the last week of the grading period.
3. Extra credit could never cause a grade to go up to an A, as an A indicates a high level of mastery.
4. It took a lot of extra credit to move the grade a tiny bit.
5. Extra credit was never figured into the grade until the very end.
For some reason, kids still wanted to do extra credit. So I let them.
When I was in junior high, I knew how to take advantage of extra credit. If a teacher specified a certain number of points for a certain thing, I could skip assignments I didn't like and do extra credit instead! A+ in English, but no, I never did read that dumb novel. I memorized Shakespeare passages instead. A+ in science, without ever doing a major part of the project. Instead, I skimmed through many science articles and scribbled summaries. (I got my Algebra A+ on the strength of my actual scores, but had I been the teacher, I would have given me an A.)
Because I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill and I cannot take the assertion that kids are coasting by on extra credit seriously. Sorry to say but the very idea that a student's entire academic record is contingent on the occasional extra credit assignment is really silly to me.
I am responding to the subject of the thread. I have an opinion about this. I am willing to debate with you on the merits of your argument. If you would make an argument. If you don't care to do so then don't.
I never said kids are coasting by on extra credit or that a student's entire academic record is contingent on extra credit. What I did say is that it is unethical for a teacher to factor extra credit that is unrelated to a class into a student's record. There is a difference between the statements.
I only offer extra credit if a student is up to date on turning in all assignments, and any extra credit I offer tends to go above and beyond the content/assignments taught in class.
Yes-when I taught I only offered extra credit to students who were up to date on their assignments.
Then the kid is extremely close to a D and if he is trying his hardest to do well...I don't have a problem with the kid getting a low D vs. a high F.
Exactly.
And the assumption here seems to be that the grade given actually closely reflects the level of learning to the degree that non-curriculm based extra credit will somehow amount to a grade that reflects a lie. The problem with that is
1. The kid who learned the most and tried the hardest in any given class is not necessarily the kid with an A. Sometimes you have students who come in knowing nothing about the subject but work really hard and get a lot out of it. So say they come in a D and leave B, while some kids start out and A- but leave an A.
2. Grades are often as much a reflection on how well as student takes tests, writes papers and participates in class. That has nothing to do with learning. Someone who is good at all 3 of those things will on average scores higher than a student who doesn't, even if they retained the same amount of information.
When I was in junior high, I knew how to take advantage of extra credit. If a teacher specified a certain number of points for a certain thing, I could skip assignments I didn't like and do extra credit instead!
I've found when people do that, it is usually by design. That teacher likely didn't care which you did as long as you did something.
I have had kids with low grades for all sorts of reasons. Some of them were totally unmotivated. Some of them were motivated but had other problems. I did not offer extra credit for anyone who did not turn in all assignments but I was always willing to help students with troubled home lives that asked for help.
Since the homework thread has been closed, probably because it drifted a little too much, I thought I'd open another thread for us to discuss the merits of extra credit.
I am firmly in the extra-credit-must-be-content-related camp. I further think that extra credit should be infrequently offered and should be limited to that which demands students demonstrate elevated knowledge of the material being studied.
As I mentioned in the other thread, my middle-schooler has a social studies teacher who sometimes awards extra points to students who post comments, no matter how inane, to their class COLE discussion board or their class Twitter account. It doesn't impress me.
What are your thoughts about this issue?
I share your opinion. I am a highschool biology teacher and my extra credit opportunities are few and far between. When I do offer it, I make sure that it's relavent and DIFFICULT. I think extra credit is a cop-out in general. It's ridiculous for a student to act like a jerk all hour and then expect to hand in some wordsearch to take the place of the grade they should've earned to begin with.
I have had kids with low grades for all sorts of reasons. Some of them were totally unmotivated. Some of them were motivated but had other problems. I did not offer extra credit for anyone who did not turn in all assignments but I was always willing to help students with troubled home lives that asked for help.
That's great! But the original statement was something like "The students who are getting an F are not usually the same students who are willing to do tons of extra credit". I think that's generally true, whether its due to motivation or a troubled home life or whatever. When it does happen, it is some kid trying their best not to fail... trying to get a D rather than an F, which I don't actually have a problem with personally depending on the circumstances.
I am responding to the subject of the thread. I have an opinion about this. I am willing to debate with you on the merits of your argument. If you would make an argument. If you don't care to do so then don't.
I never said kids are coasting by on extra credit or that a student's entire academic record is contingent on extra credit. What I did say is that it is unethical for a teacher to factor extra credit that is unrelated to a class into a student's record. There is a difference between the statements.
If you feel it's silly then don't respond.
I did make my argument and I still say you are exaggerating the negatives of extra credit.
I don't think there is anything unethical with extra credit. I see nothing wrong with giving hard working students a way to improve their grade point average. I think it promotes positivity towards the learning environment when kids can make up a bad test or quiz. I think it fosters a healthy attitude when kids who are trying really hard but can't, for whatever reason, master the content to get at least a passing grade for trying.
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