Or they could work on policies that reward significant improvement throughout the year. A rough start can be just that. Mandating that everything is at least 50%, even when a student gets a 0%, is a terrible idea.
My school did this w/ gym. The resulting structure basically rewards students for not giving it their all early on and conversely punishes students who don't game the system. I'm not saying that improvement based grading is inherently bad. You can add 'effort' to counter this flaw but it can become pretty subjective.
how does it punish students for not gaming the system? that's like saying welfare punishes those who aren't impoverished.
school is meant to help students learn. it's about social welfare, not commerce. when a student studies hard and turns in their homework, they're not simply trading labor for a good grade. doing homework and studying hard have inherent value to a student. it's not like a job where you work simply to get paid.
so when a student who doesn't study gets 50% by default while another student stu
well, a failing grade isn't exactly sliding by. you can slide by with an F for doing nothing as well.
students who don't want to make an effort to learn won't learn regardless. this simply allows those who change their mind or simply had a rough start to actually catch up.
making a passing grade more attainable would convince more "poor" students to turn over a new leaf rather than just give up hope completely. either way it really doesn't punish anyone for actually studying.
Considering that they were previously sliding by with 0%; how does sliding by with 50% motivate them?
I understand the "second start" idea; but in a university that means you have to drop out of school for around ten years and come back. What exactly in high school provided them with the new insight as to the importance of the grading game? Why should they get a "second start" in every class? Why should it be available witout the harsh life lessons that a decade of living with your mistakes can provide?
If you can slide by with a 50% for doing nothing, people will do exactly that.
Actually, probably the biggest "externality" will be that high-achieving students will really, truly blow off the last quarter of their senior years. What you're basically telling them is: "You can work your tail off for the quarter and your transcript will reflect an A, or you can just not show up at all and your transcript will show a B."
You're already accepted to college at that point. Well, duh, what would you do?
Or more reasonable policies (Score:5, Insightful)
Or they could work on policies that reward significant improvement throughout the year. A rough start can be just that. Mandating that everything is at least 50%, even when a student gets a 0%, is a terrible idea.
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how does it punish students for not gaming the system? that's like saying welfare punishes those who aren't impoverished.
school is meant to help students learn. it's about social welfare, not commerce. when a student studies hard and turns in their homework, they're not simply trading labor for a good grade. doing homework and studying hard have inherent value to a student. it's not like a job where you work simply to get paid.
so when a student who doesn't study gets 50% by default while another student stu
Re:Or more reasonable policies (Score:5, Insightful)
If you can slide by with a 50% for doing nothing, people will do exactly that.
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well, a failing grade isn't exactly sliding by. you can slide by with an F for doing nothing as well.
students who don't want to make an effort to learn won't learn regardless. this simply allows those who change their mind or simply had a rough start to actually catch up.
making a passing grade more attainable would convince more "poor" students to turn over a new leaf rather than just give up hope completely. either way it really doesn't punish anyone for actually studying.
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I understand the "second start" idea; but in a university that means you have to drop out of school for around ten years and come back. What exactly in high school provided them with the new insight as to the importance of the grading game? Why should they get a "second start" in every class? Why should it be available witout the harsh life lessons that a decade of living with your mistakes can provide?
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If you can slide by with a 50% for doing nothing, people will do exactly that.
Actually, probably the biggest "externality" will be that high-achieving students will really, truly blow off the last quarter of their senior years. What you're basically telling them is: "You can work your tail off for the quarter and your transcript will reflect an A, or you can just not show up at all and your transcript will show a B."
You're already accepted to college at that point. Well, duh, what would you do?
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Even without this you can fail without doing anything.
Do you have any real arguments?