The elite private schools are getting rid of grades altogether.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure they'll dress it up in some high-minded rhetoric, like they are somehow beyond grades. But getting rid of grades -- like getting rid of AP classes and class rankings and standardized tests -- is all about schools trying to avoid accountability. They're trying to make it harder for parents to objectively determine what their schools are doing for their children. In its place, it's just all, "trust us." Should you trust someone who is trying to make it more difficult for you to gauge how well they're educating your child?

[Anonymous]

Everybody is terrified of quantitative metrics because they ensure equality of outcomes. If you only rely on OBJECTIVE metrics then you can’t socially engineer your perfectly balanced intersectional class. Utter nonsense.

[Anonymous]

How do kids get admitted into college then? Solely by their SAT and ACT’s? That could negatively impact some kids who are not good test takers but that do very well in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

If you read any of the articles linked, it goes into further detail about how students will be admitted.
They are really talking about blowing up the current model entirely. Interesting stuff.
Certainly it would make admissions much more labor intensive for colleges...

[Anonymous]

Getting rid of grades seems like excellent news for the kids who would have gotten mediocre grades because now their mediocrity will be less apparent.

But it seems like terrible news for the kids who would have destroyed the curve (if anyone still graded on a curve, outside of college science classes) because now their abilities will also be less apparent.

Yay mediocrity!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do kids get admitted into college then? Solely by their SAT and ACT’s? That could negatively impact some kids who are not good test takers but that do very well in the classroom.

That is to say unimpressive average g factor kids with fake inflated grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The elite privates really shouldn’t have grades. To simply get admitted into an elite is an accomplishment — and once in, the rigor, depth and expectations are vastly superior to anything “taught” in a public, where kids are given all As for having a pulse. It’s just not fair.

It's not hard to be admitted to the "elite privates" -- mainly, you just have to be rich. And the schools are not terribly impressive. Look at where their graduates get accepted to college.

Oh sweetie, it's cute that you to write so confidently when you're so so naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting rid of grades seems like excellent news for the kids who would have gotten mediocre grades because now their mediocrity will be less apparent.

But it seems like terrible news for the kids who would have destroyed the curve (if anyone still graded on a curve, outside of college science classes) because now their abilities will also be less apparent.

Yay mediocrity!

So that’s vote for
A)

[Anonymous]

Will privates be able to justify using grades and test scores for admission at MS and US levels? Will admissions criteria change? Or will it be an acknowledgement that admission depends on hooks more than smarts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will privates be able to justify using grades and test scores for admission at MS and US levels? Will admissions criteria change? Or will it be an acknowledgement that admission depends on hooks more than smarts?

Today’s talk pretty much said as much.
Good students are a dime a dozen. How do you set yourself a part?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will privates be able to justify using grades and test scores for admission at MS and US levels? Will admissions criteria change? Or will it be an acknowledgement that admission depends on hooks more than smarts?

Today’s talk pretty much said as much.
Good students are a dime a dozen. How do you set yourself a part?

Doesn't that oddly assume that every kid is aiming for elite colleges? How is this no grade/great story business going to fly at the state schools some of these kids may be able to afford?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will privates be able to justify using grades and test scores for admission at MS and US levels? Will admissions criteria change? Or will it be an acknowledgement that admission depends on hooks more than smarts?

Today’s talk pretty much said as much.
Good students are a dime a dozen. How do you set yourself a part?

Doesn't that oddly assume that every kid is aiming for elite colleges? How is this no grade/great story business going to fly at the state schools some of these kids may be able to afford?

I thought we were talking about private school kids. Why worry about affordability?

[Anonymous]

This won’t necessarily hurt heir ability to get into small SLACs, but it will absolutely hurt kids who want to go to good OOS (maybe even instate) Public flagships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everybody is terrified of quantitative metrics because they ensure equality of outcomes. If you only rely on OBJECTIVE metrics then you can’t socially engineer your perfectly balanced intersectional class. Utter nonsense.

So you think kids who get copies of tests, pay for tutors, pay for expensive prep courses, do group work for their homework, and develop intricate cheating systems during proctored exams are somehow objective metrics? Why do you think so much work these days is project and classroom based?

[Anonymous]

Very strange that you think the only options are cheating or no grades. That’s very telling of the environment you are in.