When is a Zero Really a 50?
Here’s a math problem for you to solve. In 7th grade math class John gets a score of 70 on his first three math quizzes but on the fourth quiz, he gets a zero. What grade should John get? If you answered an F because he has an average of 52.5, you would be right in some schools. But, in other schools John would get a D because he has an average of 65.
How did that happen? Schools all over the country are implementing a policy that the lowest grade you can get is a 50.
Here’s their argument. The mathematical difference between an A and B or a B and C or a C and D is only 10 points. Why should there be a 59 point difference between a D and an F.
By making 50 the lowest possible grade, schools are giving some students a better chance of passing. Students who get zeroes in a marking period could get into a situation where they have no chance of passing.
But not everyone agrees with the zero to 50 change. Critics say that giving students credit for something they did not earn is grade inflation. They worry that it teaches them that by doing absolutely nothing, you can still get half credit.
Thomas Guskey, a professor at Georgetown College in Kentucky, is an expert on grading systems. He likes the minimum-50 policy but he admits that there are no studies that suggest that the strategy has an effect on passing rates.
Source: USA Today
BLOG QUESTION
Do you think your school should adopt a minimum-50 policy?
How did that happen? Schools all over the country are implementing a policy that the lowest grade you can get is a 50.
Here’s their argument. The mathematical difference between an A and B or a B and C or a C and D is only 10 points. Why should there be a 59 point difference between a D and an F.
By making 50 the lowest possible grade, schools are giving some students a better chance of passing. Students who get zeroes in a marking period could get into a situation where they have no chance of passing.
But not everyone agrees with the zero to 50 change. Critics say that giving students credit for something they did not earn is grade inflation. They worry that it teaches them that by doing absolutely nothing, you can still get half credit.
Thomas Guskey, a professor at Georgetown College in Kentucky, is an expert on grading systems. He likes the minimum-50 policy but he admits that there are no studies that suggest that the strategy has an effect on passing rates.
Source: USA Today
BLOG QUESTION
Do you think your school should adopt a minimum-50 policy?
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