Job Discussion Forums

[aaronschwartz]

I used the following 21st Century article on the reading comprehension exam. 90% of the students wrote that grade inflation is a good thing. Want to know why?



Your say
Date: 2003-06-12 00:00:00
Topic: Forum


Schools need grading rules
LAST week's topic: Grade inflation seems to be quite widespread. What does this mean? Is it bad for ed...




Schools need grading rules


LAST week's topic: Grade inflation seems to be quite widespread. What does this mean? Is it bad for education? Should something be done about it?

Peterpan (Shanghai): Grade inflation can be widespread because it is, in some ways, beneficial to both teachers and students. For students, good grades give credit to their competence in job hunting. For a teacher, more students will choose his course only if it is easy to pass. His course may not survive if it is strict in grading. This trend will harm education. Without a strict yardstick of grading, some students will lose the motivation to study.

Wang Xinyu (Heilongjiang): Grade inflation is ruining education gradually. Many students are puzzled by this false flattery. To avoid it, rules must be made by university leaders. For example, prescribing a percentage for each grade level. Let's say 10 per cent at A level, 30 per cent at B level, 40 per cent at C level and 20 per cent at D level. This method may encourage students to study hard to compete with each other.

Anonymous: Grade inflation indicates that many emotional factors are involved in grading. Many teachers are unwilling to displease their students. Frankly speaking, it's reasonable for teachers to do so. To prevent it, we can establish some national standards on which the teachers can rely when they give grades. I think objective judgements are easier to be carried out.

Wang Guan (Henan): I can't see any differences between them: A, B, C and A�, A-, seem like a word game. I guess one day they will be replaced by A1, A2, A3 or A4. Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, separated his staff into three ranks: the top 20, the vital 70, the bottom 10, and the last 10 would get fired. His method is effective and his team always retains vigour and makes progress. So our colleges may adopt this grading system.

Anonymous: Grade inflation is bad for education. It makes it difficult to identify excellent students. Imagine if all students got the same grade, how could you tell which one was superior?

Chen Jianping (Hubei): I'm in favour of giving students high grades. Since we live in a market-driven world, students usually have a strong desire to learn. Without the grading system, they'll have more freedom to choose what and how to study.

Qin Tian (Liaoning): Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit, we cannot flower and grow without it. After all, Chinese students suffer too much from the fear of getting a poor mark. The trend to give more As and Bs will definitely scatter their fears and encourage them to learn not only for exams.

Liu Dong (Henan): Our school has rigorous rules against failures in the final exams. This, no doubt, will spark hard work. Unfortunately, it also has side effects. Teachers and students are anxious about the results, which become a mental burden. It seems both teachers and students are working for the grade.

[Linda L.]

i will bite, why?

[Roger]

In a pyramidal system in which students move from the basis to the top, students need high scores to make it to the top at the expense of laggards. This is often referred by the misnomer of 'competition'. The many students for the few study places.
It is a misnomer because actual achievements and competencies do not matter. Why?
Because schools too manipulate grades to suit their own business needs. HIgh scores are misinterpreted into meaning that the school is "good"; no matter what the input of the students, a certain percentage of them will score top. The more students finally are admitted to elite institutions the better for the colleges and middle schools below them. A self-perpetuating illusion about student abilities and school "services".
And on top of this, once a high statistic of pass grades has been recorded, it must hover at the same level if not increase!
It can NEVER go down!