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I did make my argument and I still say you are exaggerating the negatives of extra credit.
I said multiple times that I have NO PROBLEM with curriculum related extra credit.
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Originally Posted by Magritte25
I don't think there is anything unethical with extra credit.
I don't either. See above. The thing I have a problem with is extra credit that is not related to the curriculum. I have said that multiple times.
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Originally Posted by Magritte25
I see nothing wrong with giving hard working students a way to improve their grade point average.
A good GPA is not a reward for trying to well. They should have to learn the material to get a good grade.
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Originally Posted by Magritte25
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.
I don't see any problem with letting kids have another chance to master content that they did not master the first time. That's what curriculum related extra credit can/should do. I agree that allowing kids to make up a bad test or quiz can promote a healthy learning environment. However, the make up needs to be content related.
If they can't master the content they should get a grade that reflects their actual achievement. While it's nice that kids try hard there is no reward for just trying. You have to earn your grades, not by trying hard, but by learning the material at a sufficient level.
Do you honestly think that kids who try hard should pass just because they tried?
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.
I think it depends on the age/grade of the student. In college and in high school, there definitely should not be a "passing grade for trying."
In middle school, if we had kids who were unable to master the content, we modified their assignments and their grades. We also indicated on the report card that the grade was modified. Most of the time, however, it wasn't the kids who were "trying really hard but can't" who got the low grades. It was the ones who didn't want to do the work or prepare for the tests. Those were the ones who wanted extra credit to bring F's and D's up to C's. The motivation was that they realized report cards were coming and they were going to be in trouble with their parents. Making up tests is a different topic, but middle-schoolers definitely know how to take advantage of that one, too. (I'd say that making up tests and quizzes should end after third or fourth grade - and the test should not be the same test as the original.)
I don't either. See above. The thing I have a problem with is extra credit that is not related to the curriculum. I have said that multiple times.
For me the problem is in what you define as "not related to the curriculum". A teacher offering extra credit for community service or using the message board, especially if the total extra credit involved is not enough to move them up more than a half step, is not problematic to me personally. It all depends on how it is executed and the reasons behind the use of that strategy.
Hmmm. I'm reminded now of an experience I had in college. In my junior year, I took an advanced course in deductive logic. I'd had no trouble with the introductory course, so I thought I would do well.
I was wrong!
Several weeks into the quarter, my professor came to me and suggested that I was in over my head and should drop the course.
Instead, I requested a standing appointment with him to review confusing material. He agreed, so several other students and I would gather in his office once or twice a week to get extra help.
It ended up that I received a "B" in the class, because he dropped my early assignments and used only my later work to determine my grade.
Now, I'm not sure if I believe what he did was fair, but I can tell with certainty that I had, in fact, mastered the material by the end of the quarter.
I actually only offer extra credit that will never sum to more than one point on their mp averages.
As far as content related, I frequently offer extra credit for things outside my subject area while still within science in general. Maybe for attending one of the NOAA seminars during lunch, doing the data collections/analysis for beach sweeps, etc. The extra credit opportunities do not always fall in my course content but they are always related to skills necessary for my discipline.
I almost never give extra credit for course content since I expect them to know all the material in the course.
For me the problem is in what you define as "not related to the curriculum". A teacher offering extra credit for community service or using the message board, especially if the total extra credit involved is not enough to move them up more than a half step, is not problematic to me personally. It all depends on how it is executed and the reasons behind the use of that strategy.
Every class would be different. For instance some community service might be curriculum related.
I have no problem with giving a few, trivial extra credit points (in K-12 now) for answering a question such as "what was the score of the Super Bowl"?, to see if someone read the assignment. This is what we were talking about in the other thread. I seem to recall that my kids' high school teachers weren't allowed to give EC assignments, but I can't recall the details and neither of them is here to ask.
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'm with you. I do not do boxes of kleenex or hand sanitizer for credit. I'm thinking of doing away with extr credit at all. It seems like it's the students who need the credit the least who get the credit. I don't mind a struggling student doing something extra (content related) to boost their grade but why does a student who is earning an A- need to boost theirs to an A?
Along these lines, I just received e-mail notification that students may earn EC for attending the middle school ethnic fair. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. We would have attended regardless of EC.
I could understand earning extra credit for something like that, but I think it would be better when paired with a short report (a few paragraphs) from the student highlighting what they learned. Some outside events can tie into and support curricular objectives (going to a performance of "Romeo and Juliet" while reading Shakespeare, going to an art exhibit to study paintings while enrolled in an art class, or attending a symphony performance while enrolled in the school orchestra.) I think it's important to require something in writing so the student can summarize what they gained from the event, rather than just get credit for showing up.
I dislike the idea of getting a grade for getting a paper signed by a parent... that's not really curricular, IMHO.
I have no problem with giving a few, trivial extra credit points (in K-12 now) for answering a question such as "what was the score of the Super Bowl"?, to see if someone read the assignment. This is what we were talking about in the other thread. I seem to recall that my kids' high school teachers weren't allowed to give EC assignments, but I can't recall the details and neither of them is here to ask.
I agree with you.
I just don't see the big deal with EC. I've never seen it help the lazy do-nothings.
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