redstate.com By Alex Parker
In California, they’re trying to rid America of its obliterative bias.
One way: Stop giving grades in college.
As seen in a March 16th memo posted online, the president of the state’s public university system asked the Academic and Student Affairs Committee to consider a big change.
In some cases, the old ways have been alright — particularly grading on a curve — but ultimate equity trumps all:
The University of California is exploring innovations in instructional delivery, assessment, and grading to improve learning outcomes, promote academic integrity, and advance educational equity. Traditional grading practices, such as averaging grades across assignments or grading on a curve, have merit in some cases but there may be more effective options for advancing achievement and educational equity. UC campuses are engaged in a variety of initiatives to reexamine assessment and grading practices, some of which are illustrated in this written item.
The president references “learning outcomes,” but if I understand correctly, at issue is reward rather than retention — grades, after all, reflect the latter.
