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Do We Need to Abolish Grading?
James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | October 2, 2024 | George Leef

Posted on 10/07/2024 3:26:21 AM PDT by karpov

Many generations of young Americans have learned in school under the grading system. We took tests in subjects and would find out how well we had done when the instructor returned them, often with red marks to show where we’d made mistakes. The instructor would go over the tests, often spending extra time on the questions that had given students the most trouble. Then we would move on to new material, followed by another test. At the end of the class, we’d receive an overall grade to indicate how well we had done—an A for excellent work, a B for good work, a C for average work and an F for failing to learn enough to pass and move ahead to the next class

According to Professor Joshua Eyler of the University of Mississippi, that’s a bad system.

Eyler’s book Failing Our Future: How Grading Harms Students, and What We Can Do About It argues that the nation’s future is at risk unless we abandon the grading system. He states that we have a “grade obsessed culture” that wreaks damage on students by “harming their ability to learn and thrive.” That’s quite a charge, but before we throw out the grading system in favor of something else, let’s take a look at Eyler’s case against it.

He tells us that grading is pernicious because it “perpetuates the idea that school is a place for competition rather than discovery.” Eyler dislikes competition because it can hurt those who don’t win, but that is just the way life is. People have to compete in many aspects of life—for friends, in sports, for jobs—and they shrug off their defeats and go on. What is harmful about competing in school?

(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Education
KEYWORDS: 1619project; 2024election; arth; blackkk; blackliesmanors; blackliesmatter; blacklivesmatter; blm; criticalracetheory; crt; demagogicparty; education; election2024; georgeleef; grading; kamalaharris; reparations; timwalz; wokeeducation
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1 posted on 10/07/2024 3:26:21 AM PDT by karpov
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To: karpov

Rubber- stamp all the DEI “students” through graduation
Don’t sweat it. They’ll all get graded when (and if) they ever grow up , face the real world, and (shudders!) get jobs.

Description- please stop doing this craziness in medical school, nursing, engineering, pharmacy, auto shop, anything else which might get the rest of us killed.


2 posted on 10/07/2024 3:32:08 AM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Politicians aren't born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
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To: karpov

A lot of discovery happened because of competition.


3 posted on 10/07/2024 3:33:17 AM PDT by skr (Righteousness exalteth a nation: sin is a reproach to any people. - Proverbs 14:34)
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To: karpov

Utter foolishness.

The author should be mocked and harshly, the article is more about not being held accountable for the failing education system than improving a students performance. The article uses students feelings as a foil to obfuscate the issue of the destruction of meritocracy we obtained through competence and achievement and instead create a feckless mass of inept humanity.


4 posted on 10/07/2024 3:36:10 AM PDT by Skwor
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To: skr
My thoughts exactly. One of the most important discoveries school kids will make is that life is often times competitive.

Thus it has been from our hunter-gatherer forebears, and always will be.

5 posted on 10/07/2024 3:37:35 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack
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To: Skwor

Exactly!


6 posted on 10/07/2024 3:38:03 AM PDT by brooklin
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To: karpov

that’ll make hiring fun...


7 posted on 10/07/2024 3:41:00 AM PDT by Chode (there is no fall back position, there's no rally point, there is no LZ... we're on our own. #FJB)
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To: karpov

China, India, Russia and the rest of the world will keep using grading, now matter how stupid we decide to become. They’ll be our new masters, but what the heck, public school is ‘free’, SO WHO CARES!!!. Right?


8 posted on 10/07/2024 3:42:45 AM PDT by BobL
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To: karpov

This is the dumbest article I have ever read. I give it an F!


9 posted on 10/07/2024 3:48:28 AM PDT by 2nd Amendment
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To: karpov
What about just stop using "A" or "B", etc. Just use a percentage, as in,
"What percentage did you graduate with?".
Student: "I graduated with 65%."
"So you only know 65% of what you were taught?"...
10 posted on 10/07/2024 3:50:06 AM PDT by jeffc (Resident of the free State of Florida)
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To: karpov

Nope, just public education.


11 posted on 10/07/2024 3:52:37 AM PDT by LambSlave
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To: karpov

Grading is a measure of how lazy the student is. It’s gotten so watered down (especially college), that anyone who puts in a tiny bit of effort can get at least a C grade. You have to be a true lazy retard (or a democrat) to get a D or F.

It makes you wonder how Joshua Eyler passed his grades. He is NOT a Professor, he is a Charlatan. /spit


12 posted on 10/07/2024 3:52:51 AM PDT by Flavious_Maximus (Tony Fauci will be put on death row and die of COVID!)
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To: karpov

The best way to create a 3rd world country.


13 posted on 10/07/2024 4:04:57 AM PDT by Mlheureux
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To: karpov

The public school system has made a shambles of grading, in partnership with parents who want their kids to be passed without learning.

It’s time for the parents and children who want to succeed to depart the public school, and let real life happen to the rest.


14 posted on 10/07/2024 4:06:43 AM PDT by lurk (u)
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To: jeffc

Yup. 👍


15 posted on 10/07/2024 4:10:13 AM PDT by Cobra64 (Common sense isn’t common anymore.)
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To: karpov
Idiocracy - since November 4, 2008


16 posted on 10/07/2024 4:21:08 AM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They did Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)
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To: karpov

Somebody doesn’t like grading papers.


17 posted on 10/07/2024 4:25:11 AM PDT by Dusty Road (")
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To: karpov

Reality bats last…


18 posted on 10/07/2024 4:28:45 AM PDT by IncPen ("Inside of every progressive is a Totalitarian screaming to get out" ~ David Horowitz)
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To: karpov

Abolish merit.

That’s what this idiot is saying.


19 posted on 10/07/2024 4:33:33 AM PDT by fwdude
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To: karpov

These idiots never come up with anything new. Just the same old tired garbage.


20 posted on 10/07/2024 4:34:02 AM PDT by HYPOCRACY (Brandon's pronouns: Xi/Hur)
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