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"We had a measure of how kids were doing: The report card." Report cards are as deeply flawed as standardized tests. If I were to tell you that I received a D

"We had a measure of how kids were doing: The report card." Report cards are as deeply flawed as standardized tests. If I were to tell you that I received a D in middle school algebra and an F in English, would you assume that I found algebra challenging and that I had literacy problems when I was 12? If so, you would be utterly wrong: I was beginning to understand limits and integration was I was in 7th grade, and I was reading at a "post-high-school level" according to my school. The reason my grades were not even remotely related to my aptitude was simple: grades are not meant to reflect aptitude. Aptitude gets you a D- if you do not turn in your homework, even if you did not bother with homework because you were busy learning more advanced material. I am neither the first nor the last person to have been given grades that did not reflect my understanding or talents in any subject. Report cards try to give a one-dimensional view of a student's academic performance, and in doing so they favor a particular kind of student. Obedient students who do exactly as they are told and nothing more, who only learn what their teachers expect them to learn, receive the best grades. Second best are those who try really hard to be compliant but who lack the talent or understanding needed to answer every question to their teachers' satisfaction. Last place is reserved for students who either do not care about being educated or those who care but fail to properly follow instructions or fit into the neat view of people that American teachers have. Our education system is meant to train people to follow directions to the letter, and the switch from report cards to standardized tests has not changed that.

abraininavat 14y ago
Oh, I see now. You are advocating we use psychic powers to know that a student didn't turn in his homework because he was off learning more advanced topics. You're right, we should get started on developing nation-wide psychic tests.
- betterunix 14y ago
  No, I am saying that either people need to recognize that grades are not a reliable indicator of ability, understanding, or aptitude, or else teachers need to start assigning grades that are a reliable indicator of such things. Right now, we have grades that are interpreted to mean one thing, but in reality mean something else. Your comment starts with the assumption that having grades that are based on whether or not homework is turned in is how things should be. My point was that teachers should not be giving bad grades to students who did not do their homework, they should be giving bad grades to students who do not demonstrate an understanding of the subject.
Crake 14y ago
"Obedient students who do exactly as they are told and nothing more, who only learn what their teachers expect them to learn, receive the best grades." I always completed my homework, and then went on to learning the more advanced things. It was so simple for me that in the majority of cases, completing it took me very little effort or time. However, I'm sure most of my teachers would laugh if they heard me called obedient. I'm sure they'd have loved to have flunked me if I'd ever given them the smallest opportunity to do so. It's quite easy to learn what you like, and have the best grades as well. The really annoying thing is running out of homework to do and then getting busted for reading a book quietly instead. (1000 page asimov novel being somewhat more obvious to spot than a page of algebra homework) (That, and having a 105% in a class and still not being allowed to go back to sleep in your seat at 8AM. Zzzz.)

abraininavat 14y ago

Oh, I see now. You are advocating we use psychic powers to know that a student didn't turn in his homework because he was off learning more advanced topics. You're right, we should get started on developing nation-wide psychic tests.

betterunix 14y ago
No, I am saying that either people need to recognize that grades are not a reliable indicator of ability, understanding, or aptitude, or else teachers need to start assigning grades that are a reliable indicator of such things. Right now, we have grades that are interpreted to mean one thing, but in reality mean something else. Your comment starts with the assumption that having grades that are based on whether or not homework is turned in is how things should be. My point was that teachers should not be giving bad grades to students who did not do their homework, they should be giving bad grades to students who do not demonstrate an understanding of the subject.

Crake 14y ago

"Obedient students who do exactly as they are told and nothing more, who only learn what their teachers expect them to learn, receive the best grades." I always completed my homework, and then went on to learning the more advanced things. It was so simple for me that in the majority of cases, completing it took me very little effort or time. However, I'm sure most of my teachers would laugh if they heard me called obedient. I'm sure they'd have loved to have flunked me if I'd ever given them the smallest opportunity to do so. It's quite easy to learn what you like, and have the best grades as well. The really annoying thing is running out of homework to do and then getting busted for reading a book quietly instead. (1000 page asimov novel being somewhat more obvious to spot than a page of algebra homework) (That, and having a 105% in a class and still not being allowed to go back to sleep in your seat at 8AM. Zzzz.)