“Contract-Grading” and the War Against Academic Excellence

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | April 20, 2022 | Adam Ellwanger

[karpov]

...

Sadly, though, the idea of “contract-grading” is now gaining prevalence in disciplines of critical academic importance–not only in high schools, but in many prominent colleges and universities. This development is only the latest front in a larger war on intellectual excellence, where the focus has now moved from lowering standards to eliminating them.

Take, for example, my own field of English. I work at a university with a large population of first-generation college students. Many of them work full-time jobs, and a significant number of them speak English as a second language. Instruction at my institution is in English, so these students face significant barriers. I want to stress that I am not offering a critique of these students.

Although I know rudimentary Spanish, I have little doubt that I would likely fail a college composition course where I had to write in that language. But the difficulties faced by our population ensure that a much larger proportion of students fail freshman composition than at most universities. Because passage rates in general education courses are a major metric by which coordinating boards and legislatures assess institutional effectiveness, our lower ratings are a great concern at my institution.

[Republican in occupied CA]

I fondly remember in Jr. High English, the teacher had this system where you could get one point for every 10 pages of any book you read and did a report on. This was in addition to tests and other work, but 100 points was an ‘A’, 90 a ‘B’ for the class..
I had read ‘Exodus’ and Azimov’s ‘Foundation Trilogy’ over the summer.

Third day of class I turned in four book reports, total 1100 pages.

To his credit, the teacher let me just go to the library and read for the rest of the semester, only having to take one or two idiot-level tests. Pure heaven, a library and being allowed to be there :-)

[4Runner]

At a rate of 210,000 illegals a month blowing through our border with Mexico, in a little while the entire welfare population of South America will be the new U.S. majority and it isn’t going to need English speaking or writing skills in its new country. But the author if he wants to keep earning a living is going to have to start brushing up on his Spanish.

[EEGator]

Across the hall from my 12th grade English class was another 12th grade English class.
Taught by one Jill Biden. Luckily I had the better teacher…

[jimwatx]

Part of the elite’s plan to dumb us all down and make it easier to control us. This goes along with their attack on free speech, they are shooting for total control of the narrative.

[ConservativeInPA]

It's amazing how so called intellectual elites at universities can't figure out how to solve a simple problem, or have the guts to do the correct things so that the integrity of a college degree remains intact. If you can't read, write or speak English when matriculating into college, then you don't belong there and the college should not admit you. If somehow you can't make a real grade in English Comp, then you probably won't be passing any of your other courses (as long as it isn't some "studies" course). That should result in being dismissed.

When I went to college, the only people I can recall having difficulty with English Comp were education majors. You would think the sciences and engineering guys would be the ones having difficulty given their nerdy reputations, but actually they had no problem with it. English Comp was easy compared to Calc and Physics I.

[aquila48]

bookmark

[17th Miss Regt]

That must have been before she achieved her high and exalted rank of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION!

[EEGator]

That is was, as it was 1992-1993.
I remember thinking, why are her legs so tan in January...

[Albion Wilde]

bump