Reply to 50% of all high school seniors have an A average GPA

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So let's take these one at a time:

1. No final exams anymore since kids were doing so bad   WHY IS THIS A BAD THING? WHO SAYS TESTING IS THE BEST EVIDENCE THAT YOU LEARNED THE MATERIAL?
2. Retakes on tests are allowed. The test scores aren't even combined.  The 2nd score is the final score.  Get a 64 on first test and a 90 on the second.  You get a 90.  AGAIN, IF THE GOAL IS TO DEMONSTRATE MASTERY OF THE MATERIAL, WHY IS THIS BAD? ARE YOU SAYING THE KID DIDN'T LEARN THE MATERIAL TO GET THE 90?
3. Projects, papers, and homework can be turned in late without penality  DITTO -- FINE YOU MISS A DEADLINE, THAT'S NOT GREAT. BUT IF YOU DO THE WORK...
4. They have a weighted country-wide grade policy. No number grades are submitted to colleges for 100 point scale.  All letter grades.  A+B will always equal A for a semester. So a 79.5 + 89.5 always equals an A?  In MCPS - absolutely!!   IS THIS REALLY UNCOMMON? I DON'T THINK SO?
5. They give an entire GPA point for AP classes. So that 79.5 and 89.5 now all of a sudden equal a 5.0 on the GPA scale.  I THINK THIS IS COMMON AND NOT SURE IT'S 'INFLATION.'
6. They give an entire GPA point higher for honors classes. Same as above   OK THIS IS A BIT UNUSUAL
7. Most kids minus remedial are taking at least 2 honors courses Freshman year.  Honors courses in MCPS are basic courses.  There is nothing honors about them.  I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS
8. You are allowed to take college AP courses as a freshman and are unlimited the entire 4 years.   THAT IS UNUSUAL TOO

BTW, Virginia schools (Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun I'm familiar with) really aren't like the above. Some MSs allow retakes, but you can rarely get more than an 80. And you def get docked a letter grade for late projects. [/quote]

1. [b]Why do colleges have finals then?  They do, they are important, and high school kids need to learn how to take them. [/b]
2. If you bomb a test and have more time to learn the material than your peers, understand how the actual test will be given by your teachers, and can get a higher grade in the end - yes, that is gaming the system. 
3. A kid making a deadline vs a kid missing a deadline are two very different type of people in all aspects of life.  If a kid is given extra time for a better grade, you believe that is just fair?
4, 5, and 6. Yes it is absolutely uncommon for a high C and a high B to equal a 5.0 on a GPA scale for countless AP and honors courses given.  Have your seen the grading table for MCPS?  An A and a D automatically equal a B.  No matter if the A and the D were the lowest grades.  Still equals a B.  Then if it was an honors course, it equals an A with an entire point increase.  That is massive grade inflation.  
[/quote]

I think this likely depends on the program. When I was in college (1989-1993), there was a lot more emphasis on final papers and projects rather than final exams. But I was in a liberal arts/interdisciplinary studies program. I'm sure the accountants had finals.

You seem really obsessed with capturing snapshots in time when the real goal of high school and college is that students learn the material.[/quote]

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