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When I was teaching, most of the kids who never got zeros were kids whose parents pretty much did their homework for them. Perfect scores on HW, projects, etc. Lower scores on tests. I once considered having mine complete all assignments in class just so I could see what THE KIDS knew. I wasn't teaching their parents, after all.
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The better PR would be to go on a 0 - 50 scale instead of a 50 - 100 scale. Both camps ("They're not getting something for nothing!" and "We want them to keep working to learn!") could have what they want that way.
The zeros make them consider the costs and decide that they need to get things in on time..
Very smart but lazy students will often calculate the lowest grade they can make on an exam and still get
a B or C final grade...
Are you even trying to understand this proposed policy shift?? This has nothing to do with the "very smart but lazy students."
In most cases, being a successful, productive member of society has much more to do with desire, effort and hard work. Edison was correct.
BTW, if one project is important enough to skew a kids grade for the entire marking period, and said kid doesn't turn it in, then the kid deserves the zero. Tough lesson to learn, but a good one.
BTW, if one project is important enough to skew a kids grade for the entire marking period, and said kid doesn't turn it in, then the kid deserves the zero. Tough lesson to learn, but a good one.
Let's try an example of a class with 20 graded items for the period, each equally waited, and assume that an average of 60 or better is needed to pass. If there is a struggling student who achieves a minimally passing grade of 63 on 19 of those assignments, but gets a zero on one - that student's average will be below 60 and he will fail the course for that period.
Let's try an example of a class with 20 graded items for the period, each equally waited, and assume that an average of 60 or better is needed to pass. If there is a struggling student who achieves a minimally passing grade of 63 on 19 of those assignments, but gets a zero on one - that student's average will be below 60 and he will fail the course for that period.
Is artificially inflating this kids grade going to help them in the long run?
Look, I am fine with giving this kid the opportunity to elevate their grade to passing. Maybe an additional project, but not by the stroke of the pen.
Of course, the kid has to show the willingness and desire to pass the class. If the kid is bright, but just lazy, then a failing grade it is.
When I was teaching, most of the kids who never got zeros were kids whose parents pretty much did their homework for them. Perfect scores on HW, projects, etc. Lower scores on tests. I once considered having mine complete all assignments in class just so I could see what THE KIDS knew. I wasn't teaching their parents, after all.
C'mon Meh!! Maybe just a touch of hyperbole there.
My kids don't get zeros and we don't do their work for them.
Sounds like you are either pining for intelligent, lazy kids or kids that think they are too smart to put forth the effort. Either way, give me the kid who gives it their all over the kid who thinks they are smarter than they actually are.
It's not inflating the grades. It's shortening the scale so that it's a more accurate measure of what has been done and what has been learned. Statistically, the 100-point scale is a mess. The ratios are off. Every grade A - D has a range of 7 - 10 points (depending on where you are), but F has a range of about 70 points. A bottom score of 50 just makes the ranges mathematically sensible and much more accurate when averaging grades.
Let's try an example of a class with 20 graded items for the period, each equally waited, and assume that an average of 60 or better is needed to pass. If there is a struggling student who achieves a minimally passing grade of 63 on 19 of those assignments, but gets a zero on one - that student's average will be below 60 and he will fail the course for that period.
I think you mean "weighted". In higher education, teachers usually remind students about upcoming assignments and their percentage of the course grade but you just can't hold someone's hand. It doesn't work that way in the real world.*
*Family emergencies are exceptions. I once taught in another state and about ten years ago I had a student who lost his three-year old two days before he was scheduled to take the final exam. He was told that he could take an incomplete for the semester and take a couple of months to mourn the death of his child. He was ready to take it two days after the original date of the exam. It broke my heart.
Last edited by redandorangeskittles; 11-01-2013 at 08:13 AM..
Reason: not trying to be a jerk.
In most cases, being a successful, productive member of society has much more to do with desire, effort and hard work. Edison was correct.
BTW, if one project is important enough to skew a kids grade for the entire marking period, and said kid doesn't turn it in, then the kid deserves the zero. Tough lesson to learn, but a good one.
I agree. I earned a "C" once in a college class where I had all "A"s until I procrastinated on one ten-page paper. The night before I was researching and writing and I think the instructor gave me a 30 or something after I turned in a measly five pages. I never did that again!
Alternatively, I had another instructor who never told us that he was on the 7-point scale, so when I emailed him after the final exam wondering why I had a "B" with a grade of 92, he proclaimed "I must not have told y'all, because I had another student call me about that, too." I was livid. As long as expectations are clear, we're good.
Last edited by redandorangeskittles; 11-01-2013 at 08:13 AM..
Reason: RIP
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