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| Xeogaming Forums - Debate Shrine - Drop the A-F grading system? |
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Rogue If you're reading this... You are the Resistance         Since: 08-17-04 Since last post: 636 days Last activity: 445 days |
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Apparently with American education ranking 17th in the world, experts are speculating on how to fix the system. One suggestion is dropping A-F grading.
This graphic (Source) doesn't cover all of the countries, but is rather a sampling, juxtaposing "an aggregate of the test scores in reading, mathematics and science literacy" with each countries gross domestic product. These are not the official ranks, which may be found here. Continuing on, studies show that 80 percent of kids base their self-worth on academic performance. Low self-esteem in youth, consequently, leads to poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects. So what do some think there should be instead of grades? "Independent study, community service, adventures in experience, large doses of privacy and solitude, a thousand different apprenticeships, the one day variety or longer - these are all powerful, cheap and effective ways to start a real reform of schooling," writes John Taylor Gatto, a retired educator of more than 30 years who's frequently written of the hegemony within the American education system. Many other countries practice grading, including those with higher test scores than the U.S. (like South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, Honk Kong, and Finland, which ranks first in education). So if these countries can be successful with a grading system, why get rid of it, you might ask? What do you think? What should we have if we, in fact, do away with grades? (Last edited by Rogue on 05-03-13 01:20 AM) |
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Astrophel Fear will kill your mind and steal your love as sure as anything; Fear will rob you blind and make you numb to others suffering  Since: 10-03-04 From: Azul Lux Orbital, Kirin Beta Since last post: 2482 days Last activity: 1333 days |
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| "If at first you don't succeed, change the metrics."
It's bullshit, and they're looking for quick-fix solutions to make themselves look better rather than the necessary overhaul that's desperately needed. |
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Cteno Super Shotgun Moderator Since: 01-11-05 Since last post: 94 days Last activity: 92 days |
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| I don't know about doing away with it altogether. For the kids that don't care about school much, an F is that ticking timebomb waiting to ruin everything good in life. For those that are goal-oriented, grades are important to show them how well they are doing and what else needs to be done.
If grades are taken away completely, it could really go either way. I personally like to put in more effort to have a better GPA. Instead of getting rid of it, the US should instead focus efforts on reaching out to the kids in need instead of punishing them. |
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FX Zombie Marco Since: 03-24-06 Since last post: 3832 days Last activity: 3728 days |
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| The current grading system punishes you for failing, without encouraging you to succeed. | |||
True Flight The One Since: 08-21-04 Since last post: 102 days Last activity: 102 days |
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Originally posted by FX So does the real world. |
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FX Zombie Marco Since: 03-24-06 Since last post: 3832 days Last activity: 3728 days |
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| Yes, but school isn't the real world. It's supposed to give you the skills to survive in it. | |||
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True Flight The One Since: 08-21-04 Since last post: 102 days Last activity: 102 days |
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| You know the point in school to me has always been somewhere to send your kids while your parents work. It makes sense... and wtf am I doing in this side of the forum anyway. O_o | |||
Elara Divine Mamkute Dark Elf Goddess Chaos Imp Penguins Fan Ms. Invisable  Since: 08-15-04 From: Ferelden Since last post: 102 days Last activity: 102 days |
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| I would think that it would be more useful to see what methods those other countries are using and try incorporating some of those.
My personal recommendation? Get rid of the giant pile of standardized testing. It hurts teachers because they don't have enough time in the year to teach their subjects adequately... it would be better if they themselves could just give one big exam in each class that actually deals with the subject they are teaching. No pressure to teach to this big standardized test. Our education system went down the drain when the standards movement came about. I get the noble intentions, but you know the saying about them... and we have totally gone down that path. The point of school is to educate your kids to be good citizens in America... I don't think we even do that anymore. Education should give you the tools and knowledge necessary to be a good individual and to understand what the hell is going on around you. It should teach you to think, it should give you the background so that you don't walk blindly into a situation... how do you get a loan without knowing how to read it and do the math to figure out if you are being screwed? How do you vote for a candidate if you don't look into their history or know how the voting process works? How do you cook and not blow up your house if you don't understand basic chemistry and physics (mixing and heat transference)? Is the A-F system a problem? I really don't think so, no. It can be when teachers set stupid grade ranges, but that is a problem with that teacher, not the grade system. |
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Cteno Super Shotgun Moderator Since: 01-11-05 Since last post: 94 days Last activity: 92 days |
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| I hugely agree with the bit about the teacher being the problem.
When I had Dedrick teaching me math, I was getting straight A's on everything. Now that I don't have him anymore, I'm averaging a low B or high C. A great teacher makes a huge difference! |
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Elara Divine Mamkute Dark Elf Goddess Chaos Imp Penguins Fan Ms. Invisable Since: 08-15-04 From: Ferelden Since last post: 102 days Last activity: 102 days |
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| While I do agree that a great teacher makes all the difference, what I meant was those insane teachers that have grade ranges of "An A grade is a 100-97, while a B is 96-85, C is 85-70, D is 69-55, and F is 54-0"
I've seen graders like that... it is stupid. And don't even get me started on the whole +/- thing. |
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