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Here's a thought... if someone has kids who are doing great with the system as it is, why kick up a fuss about kids who might need help actually getting it and complain at the idea of them getting it?
Really? Perhaps because they worry that if the system changes, their kids won't do great. I don't believe anyone is proposing that the system only change for a certain subset of kids. I think the question is whether the change will benefit all kids or just a certain subset of kids.
FWIW, I really appreciated CaliTerp's point of view, particularly the insight into how above average students perform. My opinion on the whole subject has done a 180 since I first heard of it. My only issue is inconsistent application of policies.
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Furthermore, yes, my daughter is at WCMS, but she was at Reedy Creek last year and they didn't do much in the way of retakes. She still did fine.
She's just conscientious.
Of course she did. And of course she is. I would expect nothing less.
That's a great article. I especially like weighing grades differently as the semester goes on and not putting too much emphasis on one project or test.
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I'm the parent of a child who enjoys not doing his work, and not turning it in even when he does it. He goes to a very competitive middle school and the bottom line is - the work's gotta get done. He keeps trying not to do it, but they don't go for it. I think not allowing zeroes will have a terrible affect on these kids - they need to learn that the work needs to get done. My DS is in middle school, so we're hoping we can get him on board with this philosophy before he moves on to high school!
I'm the parent of a child who enjoys not doing his work, and not turning it in even when he does it. He goes to a very competitive middle school and the bottom line is - the work's gotta get done. He keeps trying not to do it, but they don't go for it. I think not allowing zeroes will have a terrible affect on these kids - they need to learn that the work needs to get done. My DS is in middle school, so we're hoping we can get him on board with this philosophy before he moves on to high school!
And why must everything become a racial issue?
I will say, on the flip side, as this sounds like I was your son, that the number of 0 grades they gave me did absolutely nothing to change the brain chemistry or whatever it is that made me that way. THey would do him a much better service to try to find out what is going on with him, IMO.
Sounds like I will have to give these students a reality check when they enter my college classroom. The due date on an assignment is not a suggestion.
Personally, I think it's time we stopped using grades as a way to punish kids and start using them for what they are for: determining whether or not the child has mastered a particular skill or body of knowledge. If a kid gets a zero on something because he didn't complete it, but still actually knows how to do the work, making the grade lower doesn't actually communicate the appropriate information to the parents or the colleges for that matter.
I think we should change the system completely first of all using the median rather than the mean to determine the grades, which I think more accurately portrays whether or not they know the material. And second, instead of using academic grades to communicate behavioral information, create a separate scale that measures responsibility and maturity. It should use all objective information such as how many assignments were not turned in, how many were late, how many were on time, etc. This data should all be crunched into a number that will communicate how reliable and responsible the student is.
This is simply a problem of trying to communicate two very different things with one grade.
Sounds like I will have to give these students a reality check when they enter my college classroom. The due date on an assignment is not a suggestion.
Well said. There was a recent USA Today article where Colleges were complaining about how a large percentage of Freshman are ill prepared for College work. More dumbing down will only make matters worse. Then companies will want more H1-B visas so they can get the workers with the skills needed.
Personally, I think it's time we stopped using grades as a way to punish kids and start using them for what they are for: determining whether or not the child has mastered a particular skill or body of knowledge. If a kid gets a zero on something because he didn't complete it, but still actually knows how to do the work, making the grade lower doesn't actually communicate the appropriate information to the parents or the colleges for that matter.
I think we should change the system completely first of all using the median rather than the mean to determine the grades, which I think more accurately portrays whether or not they know the material. And second, instead of using academic grades to communicate behavioral information, create a separate scale that measures responsibility and maturity. It should use all objective information such as how many assignments were not turned in, how many were late, how many were on time, etc. This data should all be crunched into a number that will communicate how reliable and responsible the student is.
This is simply a problem of trying to communicate two very different things with one grade.
You are assuming that the student who did not submit the material actually knows the material. In my experience, this is rarely the case.
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He goes to a very competitive middle school and the bottom line is - the work's gotta get done. He keeps trying not to do it, but they don't go for it. I think not allowing zeroes will have a terrible affect on these kids - they need to learn that the work needs to get done. My DS is in middle school, so we're hoping we can get him on board with this philosophy before he moves on to high school!
