TJ Calc BC and AP Physics
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
I don’t think they make pre calc easier. They just make BC incredibly hard. |
Anonymous
Thankfully they dont curve in advanced classes, else TJ would be no different from base school. However there is curving and grade inflation in beginner courses and we all know why. |
Anonymous
Everything is curved  now.
|
Anonymous
Are you trying to make a coherent point here, or just spouting white noise? Not sure whether you realize that some of the hardest math/science courses at top colleges are very often curved (sometimes significantly), and the curve varies for each exam. Curving is a tool that teachers use when they realize that an exam was more difficult than the performance they expected from their students. |
Anonymous
The base schools in FCPS have provided us with ample firsthand experience of curving and inflated grades. Given TJ's reputation, one would anticipate the maintenance of high, strict standards, which is fortunately observed in the advanced courses. Hats off to those TJ Calc BC and Physics C teachers. However, the same cannot be said of TJ's beginner courses, as you also indirectly acknowledge through the justification of curving as a commonly employed tool. We expect stricter standards, even for beginner courses, at TJ. But alas! |
pettifogger
Member Offline
Member Offline
You're spouting a bunch of claims that hinge on "curving is bad because it is used at base schools, therefore it is always bad, even at tj". If you were to do your research before making illogical claims, you will find that curving is widely used in many schools, specifically at places such as MIT, Caltech, and many, many, others. Does that mean those courses do not have high, strict standards? Does that mean that a course that doesn't curve (of which there are very many in base schools, where an 'A' is always 93% or above) is automatically rigorous? And conversely, one where the class average might be 50% (such as the AMT elective at TJ) might be lax and watered down? Most TJ students, (even ones in the "beginner courses" that you are disparaging without any proof of your "lack of rigor" claim) could easily tell you that you've concluded nothing, from your highly fallacious argument. If you wish to actually succeed in making the claims you seem to really want to make, you'll have to actually provide proof that a) grades are actually curved in beginner courses, and not curved in advanced courses, and b) that the material is more watered down in beginner courses, and more rigorous in advanced courses. You are completely speculating until you have information on these things. |
Anonymous
You're just saying this because 50% is an A on AoPS 
|
Anonymous
Maybe not a fit for DCUM either. |
Anonymous
Doesr answer the question. They make the precalculus class easier than the calc class, apparently. |
Anonymous
It's also used to avoid putting a ceiling on the performance of the highest performing kids, without leaving the test behind. Curving happens *more* in the more rigorous courses that challenge each student to rise to their potential. Courses where student are motivated by the material, not the grade. |
Anonymous
Have you attended MIT? How can you claim that MIT curves as a standard practice? In fact, neither MIT nor any other reputable educational institution commonly employs curving. While there may be exceptional circumstances that justify curving, such as if the entire class scores below a C, indicating an issue with the instruction or evaluation, it should not be used when only a few students have mastered the material with an A and the rest have lower grades. If TJ were to adopt curving practices like other schools with competing interests besides academic excellence, it would tarnish its reputation for adhering to strict standards. |
pettifogger
Member Offline
Member Offline
You are completely missing the main point. You keep pointing to the arbitrary grading criteria of K12 education of 93% A, 80% B.. and assuming it holds everywhere. It's does not, far from it. I have had courses where an 80% or even 75% and above was considered an A, and this was explicitly stated in the syllabus without any kind of curving. So again, I'll emphasize that you don't understand the principle that curving is based on, which is the fact that exams can be highly variant in difficulty, with many factors to consider, such as major subject, specific topic at hand, specific teacher, specific cohort of students, etc. You can't just simply make the claim that curving is bad, and thus a system that curves is automatically not rigorous. That is a false claim. |
Anonymous
| What are TJ beginner courses, Math 1 & 2? If so, it would certainly be mean to bring them up, and highlight their grading practices. Also let's avoid making a real mockery by comparing them to MIT courses. |
pettifogger
Member Offline
Member Offline
Hah no, it's more of I'm fondly thinking back to some devilishly hard college exams where I could get away with an A at 65%
|
Anonymous
The beginner math courses at TJ consist of the typical FCPS middle school geometry courses, which do not involve much variability or factors to consider. Therefore, grading on a curve should not apply unless there is an intention to inflate the lower grades even for these basic courses. |