Future So Bright: Grading Our New Grade Point Average
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a blogumn by Josh Grelle
Some of the things kids say just amaze me:
“ Is that a furry pig?”- Abby
“Abby that’s a buffalo”- Me
“How do you not like bacon, it’s like the best part of the cow?”-Gabby
And my personal favorite: “Is Cuba the state next to Arizona or Maine?”-Waley.
All I can say to these is wow. Who can possibly be this ( I don’t want to say stupid because it’s mean but it is a really appropriate word for this particular situation) _________ insert your chosen word here.
The most recent example of institutionalized intelligence sucking is the new Texas GPA plan. Or as I like to call it the worst piece of crap ever to happen to education since standardized testing and the No Child Left Behind Program. The Texas GPA Equality Plan is supposedly going to even out the GPA averages, so that colleges don’t get confused — because, of course, people at the colleges are o so dumb. The way they plan to accomplish this is by taking the honors or Pre A.P. (the politically correct way to say it) G.P.A. and lowering it from a 4.5 G.P.A. to a 4.0 G.P.A. which is the exact same G.P.A. as the regulars students. So all of the hard work that the honors kids put in will be for nothing. In fact it might even hurt their G.P.A. because honors is more difficult than regular classes, so even if you score a 94 in honors and can get a 100 in a regular class then your G.P.A. will be lower.
Basically this is going to discourage people from trying to take harder classes and injure the ones who do. Of course the whole college confusion reason is a load of crap and I’m sure that it’s a political correctness issue. Too many soccer moms complained that their children’s feelings were hurt because they felt stupid because of honors classes. Of course if their children tried harder they could take any honors classes they wanted. If stupidity is encouraged in such a broad measure, then the kids who struggle to better themselves by taking harder classes will be punished and the lazy children who don’t care about their grades will be rewarded. If things like this continue then I fear that our generation will be responsible for losing the little respect that we still have left from other nations, and the U.S. will no longer be the “city on upon the hill” that JFK envisioned. We will instead become a nation rolling down the hill, going backwards, and speeding into a desolate future.
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having benefitted from a weighted gpa for honors students myself back when i was in high school, i can see how this might be annoying. but you shouldn't worry. any college worth its salt looks at your classes — not just your grades. and if you skate by with non-honors or A.P. classes, there's no way you'll get into the more competitive colleges no matter how good your grades are. also, technically this is how they grade things in college, which was very annoying to me, b/c it meant a lot of mid-level students were taking my beginner-level spanish classes and throwing off the curve so that they could maintain high GPAs. sadly, that's college, and i don't think they'll ever fix that, so you might as well get used to it now. do well in your honors classes and do lots of extracurriculars and you'll be fine.
having benefitted from a weighted gpa for honors students myself back when i was in high school, i can see how this might be annoying. but you shouldn't worry. any college worth its salt looks at your classes — not just your grades. and if you skate by with non-honors or A.P. classes, there's no way you'll get into the more competitive colleges no matter how good your grades are. also, technically this is how they grade things in college, which was very annoying to me, b/c it meant a lot of mid-level students were taking my beginner-level spanish classes and throwing off the curve so that they could maintain high GPAs. sadly, that's college, and i don't think they'll ever fix that, so you might as well get used to it now. do well in your honors classes and do lots of extracurriculars and you'll be fine.
It does feel like they are just trying to make the stupid kids feel better about there grades. I do think universities will take into account the fact you were in honors classes or not but this will make the soccer moms and there jock kids feel better.
It does feel like they are just trying to make the stupid kids feel better about there grades. I do think universities will take into account the fact you were in honors classes or not but this will make the soccer moms and there jock kids feel better.
Josh, I can totally understand your frustration. But ETC is right, grading on a curve continues into college and graduate school (should you dare), so you should get used to it. Is it right? Maybe not. But frankly I also have issues with the notion of honors/AP/gifted/etc. versus regular/average/remedial/etc. and how that gets determined. In the past I have found that process to be wrought with unfairness and inequities. Plus I have real concerns about the notion of labeling a child as gifted or remedial (they use both terms here in NJ)….and how that label stigmatizes a child or young adult.
Also, colleges today are looking for "well-rounded" kids and are looking at more than just your GPA. And thank God they did or maybe I would not have ended up at Smith!
By the way, I never took an honors or AP class in high school and I got into Smith and CMU.
Josh, I can totally understand your frustration. But ETC is right, grading on a curve continues into college and graduate school (should you dare), so you should get used to it. Is it right? Maybe not. But frankly I also have issues with the notion of honors/AP/gifted/etc. versus regular/average/remedial/etc. and how that gets determined. In the past I have found that process to be wrought with unfairness and inequities. Plus I have real concerns about the notion of labeling a child as gifted or remedial (they use both terms here in NJ)….and how that label stigmatizes a child or young adult.
Also, colleges today are looking for "well-rounded" kids and are looking at more than just your GPA. And thank God they did or maybe I would not have ended up at Smith!
By the way, I never took an honors or AP class in high school and I got into Smith and CMU.