Have you heard about this?
In a move widely applauded by local parents, a school district in New Jersey has banished “D” grades from its schools. From now on, any grade under a C will be an automatic failure.
“D’s are simply not useful in society,” said Larrie Reynolds, the Mount Olive superintendent, who led the campaign against D’s as a way to raise the bar. “It’s a throwaway grade. No one wants to hire a D-anything, so why would we have D-students and give them credit for it?”
It’s a bit ironic, considering the “C” grade was designed to represent the average student and average result. In our modern society of overachievers, the goal is apparently for 100% of our children to be above average.
I sincerely hope that none of the professors grade on a curve.
Thoughts?
Magic and Mayhem 
Public school and how much its changed over the years makes me cringe. Its so frustrating seeing how they’re constantly setting up new methods to make matters worse.
Consider how different the schools are from state to state and grades don’t matter much at all in the long run. I know kids who are super smart but have no social skills (and they’re in public school), while I’ve worked with people who were not particularly bright, but their strengths included common sense and great people skills.
.-= frootbat31´s last blog ..Homeschool Lesson- Weather =-.
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What exactly are grades useful for other than a classroom setting? When I get groceries I am not graded on how much I spend or how many fruits I get. My husband is not graded at work on a project. People need to get past the grade issue, you spend 12-16 (or more) years of life (as a typicial person, not a HS’er) getting graded, but you spend the rest of your life…living.
People who constantly search for the ‘A’ from everyone are sad indeed.
.-= liese4´s last blog ..I ♥ Faces – surprise! =-.
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Mathematically, that doesn’t make any sense! If you have a group of students and are going to rank them…1/2 will be in the top and 1/2 will be in the bottom. If all students are given A’s…then an A no longer has any meaning or relevence.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Once A Mouse Unit- Lapbook =-.
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Exactly! Methinks they need to touch up on their math skills…
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Oh, urgh. This kind of thing just gets my goat. Like kids need yet another way to be perceived as failures in the public schools!
You’d think they would concentrate more on helping kids gain the skills and knowledge they will need as grown-ups, and less on the stupid, trumped-up grading system.
Double-urgh!
.-= Karen´s last blog ..A Very Harry Summer =-.
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Maybe they could eliminate D’s a different way–by actually reaching the kids who are getting D’s them and helping them learn? Maybe they need to look at how schools instruct students rather than how students “rate.” Just a thought…
.-= Sparklee´s last blog ..Our Classroom =-.
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Holy Lake Wobegon Effect, Batman! (Google if you don’t get the reference)
.-= Risa´s last blog ..The Start of Another Dinosaur Craft =-.
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