Wisconsin won’t admit it, but its new egalitarian policy leads to grading quotas

Pope Center for Higher Education Policy ^ | December 17, 2014 | W. Lee Hansen

[reaganaut1]

In July, I wrote about the pressure that University of Wisconsin officials have been exerting on the faculty for greater “equity” on campus.

My “Madness in Madison” essay pointed out that university administrators are so caught up in egalitarian groupthink that they want to reduce or eliminate differences in students’ choice of majors and in the distribution of grades.

That essay elicited a defensive reaction from the university. Chief Diversity Officer Patrick Sims stated in a July 22, 2014 press release that UW’s diversity plan does not entail “a quota system for apportioning grades by race.”

Bringing up quotas, however, is a distraction from the plan’s impact—a red herring.

UW-Madison’s new diversity plan, “A Framework for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence,” calls for the elimination of the grade gap, but in a veiled way that never uses the word "quota." Unfortunately, the result will hardly be any different than if it did.

A bit of history will set the stage.

UW-Madison has been moving toward egalitarian grading since 2008 when the university began reporting to departments and instructors the rates of D, F, and drop grades by gender, first-generation college status, and targeted minority status.

That sent a message to the faculty that they’d better pay close attention to low grades for students in certain groups.

The 2009 UW System’s “Inclusive Excellence Framework” insisted upon "proportional participation of historically underrepresented racial-ethnic groups at all levels of an institution . . . and in the distribution of grades."

In plain English, this meant that the university was determined to have equal grades for all groups.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Essentially, U-Wisconsin is now a diploma mill for anyone in their ‘protected’ categories.”

Come, now! To be fair, we just got a $10 Million dollar check from Author James Patterson for our football team, as well as another $100 Million from some friends of Bill Gates who told them to give away HALF of their fortune!

Priorities, Man! Who cares if the kids can’t read or write? It’s all about the sports. ;)

Now, when they start demanding ‘diversity’ on the field and I see my first Asian Quarterback, I’ll start worrying!

*SMIRK*

[Diana in Wisconsin]

PING! To Post 21. (Tongue in cheek!)

[knittnmom]

LOL!