There is no mistake about it; American Age and its writing staff have written about education and matters thereto more than any other subject since its inception. In addition we have written about and addressed the situation that we refer to as "Lowering the Bar of Acceptable Academic Standards" warning, perhaps even foretelling what is going to happen in education before it actually happens.
We at American Age believe, based on our most recent research, that it is the family unit as a whole that is creating much of the dysfunction in America's public education system, meaning mostly parents with their children intentionally manipulating teachers, schools, and school boards.
And what is anything these days without an advocacy group, special interest group, or lobbyist? The following few paragraphs is yet another ridiculous manipulation of what is going on in today's education system. Please meet Fairgrade, an alleged advocacy group run by parents and educators.
To the grade-grubbers go the spoils. And the grade-grubbers in this case are rabble-rousing parents in Virginia's Fairfax County. Residents of the high-powered Washington suburb have been battling the district's tough grading practices; chief among their complaints is that scoring a 93 gets recorded as a lowly B+. After forming an official protest group last year called Fairgrade and goading the school board into voting on whether to ease the standards, parents marshaled 10,000 signatures online and nearly 500 in-person supporters to help plead their case on Jan. 22. After two hours of debate, the resolution passed, a move critics consider a defeat in the war on grade inflation.
At most schools in the U.S., a 90 [will] earn you an A, but in Fairfax County, getting the goods demands a full 94. Merely passing is alleged to be tougher, too, requiring a 64 rather than a 60. Nor do students get much help clearing those high bars if they take tougher courses. Compared to the kind of GPA "weighting" many districts give for Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, Fairfax County's half-point boost is peanuts. The upshot, protesters say, is that Fairfax kids are at a disadvantage on multiple fronts: snagging good-driver insurance discounts (which often factor in GPA), earning NCAA eligibility, winning merit scholarships, and - oh, yeah - getting into college.
I heartedly encourage every parent, every student, and fellow educators to read the remainder of this article. It can be found here: Virginia Parents Fight for Easier Grading Standards.
Just a small post script...we are in the process of clarifying exactly who changed the initial grading standards in the first place.
Since the initial writing of this article we have found that it was indeed, the parents, who in the 1960s and again in the late 1970s who initiated the original grade level changes.
Notwithstanding anything other than unadulterated manipulation and reckless hunger for the display of perceived 'power' this entire 10 point system versus the 7 point system is but another attempt to involve oneself into matters most do not understand.
Whatever grade system is used is of no consequence whatsoever to the students or their parent's, hence the earlier comment about 'grade inflation.' The reason that this is a non-issue is simply because of integrity and the instructors reporting the grade that a student has earned.
Simply put, it matters not whether a student scores a 93 percent or a 60 percent; the scales are relevant in and of themselves. Whether a student earns at 93 percent on a 7 point system or an 89 percent with the 10 point system the scores are both the letter grade "B." Should there be a difference between say a B-plus, B, and B-minus? This was an additional issue that the Fairfax County School Board took into consideration and as purely a gift, granted the notion of assigning +'s and -'s to the letter grades. What next?
We predict that assessment will take place verbally in front of a panel; perhaps this will be a form of assessment that will ensure that students will be on their best behavior as well.
We at American Age believe, based on our most recent research, that it is the family unit as a whole that is creating much of the dysfunction in America's public education system, meaning mostly parents with their children intentionally manipulating teachers, schools, and school boards.
And what is anything these days without an advocacy group, special interest group, or lobbyist? The following few paragraphs is yet another ridiculous manipulation of what is going on in today's education system. Please meet Fairgrade, an alleged advocacy group run by parents and educators.
To the grade-grubbers go the spoils. And the grade-grubbers in this case are rabble-rousing parents in Virginia's Fairfax County. Residents of the high-powered Washington suburb have been battling the district's tough grading practices; chief among their complaints is that scoring a 93 gets recorded as a lowly B+. After forming an official protest group last year called Fairgrade and goading the school board into voting on whether to ease the standards, parents marshaled 10,000 signatures online and nearly 500 in-person supporters to help plead their case on Jan. 22. After two hours of debate, the resolution passed, a move critics consider a defeat in the war on grade inflation.
At most schools in the U.S., a 90 [will] earn you an A, but in Fairfax County, getting the goods demands a full 94. Merely passing is alleged to be tougher, too, requiring a 64 rather than a 60. Nor do students get much help clearing those high bars if they take tougher courses. Compared to the kind of GPA "weighting" many districts give for Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, Fairfax County's half-point boost is peanuts. The upshot, protesters say, is that Fairfax kids are at a disadvantage on multiple fronts: snagging good-driver insurance discounts (which often factor in GPA), earning NCAA eligibility, winning merit scholarships, and - oh, yeah - getting into college.
I heartedly encourage every parent, every student, and fellow educators to read the remainder of this article. It can be found here: Virginia Parents Fight for Easier Grading Standards.
Just a small post script...we are in the process of clarifying exactly who changed the initial grading standards in the first place.
Since the initial writing of this article we have found that it was indeed, the parents, who in the 1960s and again in the late 1970s who initiated the original grade level changes.
Notwithstanding anything other than unadulterated manipulation and reckless hunger for the display of perceived 'power' this entire 10 point system versus the 7 point system is but another attempt to involve oneself into matters most do not understand.
Whatever grade system is used is of no consequence whatsoever to the students or their parent's, hence the earlier comment about 'grade inflation.' The reason that this is a non-issue is simply because of integrity and the instructors reporting the grade that a student has earned.
Simply put, it matters not whether a student scores a 93 percent or a 60 percent; the scales are relevant in and of themselves. Whether a student earns at 93 percent on a 7 point system or an 89 percent with the 10 point system the scores are both the letter grade "B." Should there be a difference between say a B-plus, B, and B-minus? This was an additional issue that the Fairfax County School Board took into consideration and as purely a gift, granted the notion of assigning +'s and -'s to the letter grades. What next?
We predict that assessment will take place verbally in front of a panel; perhaps this will be a form of assessment that will ensure that students will be on their best behavior as well.
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