Chocolate chip cookies, not cheese.
The man is not "the man on the moon"
but the man IN the moon, or OF the moon
because the moon is, in reality, Santa clause
"He knows when you are sleeping..."
who else could it be?
How's that for a conspiracy theory?
But at least I got a post up.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Disguising the Dumbing Down of America....or "Grading on a Curve"
Today I found out my test results for my science exam that I was so nerved up about. A 96% on my exam, and 100% on all three homework assignments. Was I pleased? Without a doubt. However, I was also still somewhat curious as to what my grade REALLY was. Now you might ask "Why on earth are you curious? You just told us what you got..." But my reason for being curious is what prompted this post.
The average percent for the class on the exam I just took was "71.5%", for a class of 15-20. Since the average for the class was 71.5% I think it is safe to assume that there was at least one 70% score or lower, probably a great deal more then just one.
In the process of questioning our professor the day before the test, asking him when our grade scores would be posted, he revealed to us that if someone scored below 70% he would be grading on a curve. As I pointed out in the paragraph above, someone(s) undoubtedly did score a
seventy or below
While grading on a curve may make the teacher/school/student look better, it belays the supposedly real point of testing, making sure the student knows the material he is learning. Let's set up a hypothetical situation. Suppose we have a class of twenty five students. It is class on advanced mathematics, and half the class has aspirations to one day become a math professor in an Ivy league school. And now suppose the class takes a test, 95% of the students score an objective score of 5%, and the other five percent of the class score 20%. Since the professor believes in grading on a curve, those who scored an objective score of 100% now have an "A" and a test score of 100%.
These students feel really good about their results, they are head of the class, and math whizzes, they think they have a better grasp on the material then they realized, but little do they know...
Okay, okay, perhaps an extreme example, but you get my point. Also the reason why I am still curious about what my real score is. Objectively, I think my score is a whole lot lower then what it's marked. However, if I'm part of the general populous, I don't really care, don't check the percentage for my grade myself when I get the test back, and move on. I may feel pretty good about myself, but I don't know the material, and I may need it further on in life, with a professor who belives in objective grading standards.
Oh, and multiple choice, don't even get me started. Never mind multiple choice combined w/grading on a curve.
The average percent for the class on the exam I just took was "71.5%", for a class of 15-20. Since the average for the class was 71.5% I think it is safe to assume that there was at least one 70% score or lower, probably a great deal more then just one.
In the process of questioning our professor the day before the test, asking him when our grade scores would be posted, he revealed to us that if someone scored below 70% he would be grading on a curve. As I pointed out in the paragraph above, someone(s) undoubtedly did score a
seventy or below
While grading on a curve may make the teacher/school/student look better, it belays the supposedly real point of testing, making sure the student knows the material he is learning. Let's set up a hypothetical situation. Suppose we have a class of twenty five students. It is class on advanced mathematics, and half the class has aspirations to one day become a math professor in an Ivy league school. And now suppose the class takes a test, 95% of the students score an objective score of 5%, and the other five percent of the class score 20%. Since the professor believes in grading on a curve, those who scored an objective score of 100% now have an "A" and a test score of 100%.
These students feel really good about their results, they are head of the class, and math whizzes, they think they have a better grasp on the material then they realized, but little do they know...
Okay, okay, perhaps an extreme example, but you get my point. Also the reason why I am still curious about what my real score is. Objectively, I think my score is a whole lot lower then what it's marked. However, if I'm part of the general populous, I don't really care, don't check the percentage for my grade myself when I get the test back, and move on. I may feel pretty good about myself, but I don't know the material, and I may need it further on in life, with a professor who belives in objective grading standards.
Oh, and multiple choice, don't even get me started. Never mind multiple choice combined w/grading on a curve.
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