<p>If the extra credit is related to the coursework how is that any different from homework? It is just a title in that case. They are essentially the same. I don’t see your argument.</p>
<p>In the end, it isn’t really about the grade, it’s about how much you’ve learned, as cheesy as that sounds. If extra credit can motivate students to take that extra step towards greater comprehension, then does it really matter?</p>
<p>I unfortunately have to sleep :(. So keep posting, I’ll give a long thorough response to everyone tomorrow.</p>
<p>“In reality, a group of students will go on the internet and google each answer, and circulate an answer sheet for the problems. There will be no learning, just a mockery of the class and the problems.”</p>
<p>People at my school don’t really give enough damns or possess enough ambition to make an answer sheet, but yeah, there would be copying.
I agree that tests should make up most of the grade, because they’re probably the most difficult to cheat on. But people without academic integrity will demonstrate this trait regardless of the medium.</p>
<p>I disagree with all forms of “grade boosts” such as dropping the lowest grade/extra credit/etc. The problem here is that if my school abolished all of these practices, kids from my school will have a disadvantage in the college admission process and scholarships when competing against schools with these grade boosts. As much as I would like grade inflation to go away, it is sort of like a Pandora’s Box. Once opened it cannot be closed.</p>
<p>Yeah, grading seriously needs to be more standardized, somehow. Trying to do that might make it worse, though. We have to have a 94% where I live to get an A, and people are on here saying their schools consider 89.5% an A even considering grade inflation.</p>
<p>bro, I support whatever makes my gpa higher. you can keep whatever moral high ground you seem to have created.</p>
<p>This is where the SAT/Subject Tests/AP&IB scores come in. If a kid has straight As in his math courses, but he cannot pull at least a 600 on the SAT/Math STs, then there is a reason for suspicion. There is also class rank, but with some schools doing away with it altogether and others give the honor of valedictory for a tenth of their student body, it gets more complicated.</p>
<p>Sorry for this ridiculously long post, but this is a convoluted issue that has many points that all need to be addressed.</p>
<p>I personally don’t like extra credit because I’m partisan in that I can generally get solid As without it, so I so don’t necessarily want those “89.5” kids getting the same grade as me. However, I have realized that some kids know the material but aren’t good under pressure. Although I think test taking skills are important, I think that, as other posters have said, extra credit allows kids to show their abilities in a different way. I mean, taking tests isn’t as simple as P.O.E. and “only one answer can be right” (unless “all of the above” is a choice) and everything like that. There is a lot of subconscious thinking that makes tests so inscrutable. It’s hard to empathize with those who struggle with test-taking for those of us whom test-taking comes naturally. Some kids just don’t have the natural ability to do well on tests. Well, then there’s my theory about those kids who just goof off with their cell phones in class and then cram two weeks of material into a three hour study session before the test.</p>
<p>Anyway, the point is that it’s not fair to assume that tests are a perfect indicator of “concept-mastery.” They probably still are the best method, though. Should the tests and finals be worth 100% of your grade? I don’t think so.</p>
<p>Before reading the next argument, consider that schools are generalized to cater to the masses. We see that Moskowitz’s idea of horizontal segmentation (basically getting rid of the “one-size-fits-all” approach) is now being further implemented into schools, but still schools generally don’t perfectly fit the needs of the student to optimize learning.</p>
<p>From my perspective, high school is still very much a learning experience. Most (not all) kids aren’t responsible enough to be able to plan out reading a 300 page novel or whatever into manageable chunks. This is the role of the teacher, teaching the curriculum to the student a little bit at a time. From what I’ve seen, this definitely benefits students because it helps them stay organized and get work done on time. In other words, students tend to do a lot more of the homework the day it is assigned if they know the teacher is going to collect it the next day. When teachers collect everything at the end of the unit, students feel like it doesn’t matter when they get it done as long as they get it done, so they procrastinate. Some teachers give students more independence for due dates, but some follow strict outlines, especially for large projects. What does this mean? Most (again, not all) students need homework to learn the material, so collecting it and having it count for part of the grade will force students to do it and will help them do better in the class.</p>
<p>What is busy work? To me, it’s work that students do that doesn’t help them learn the material. Since every student is different, busy work to some might be needed for another. This is why I’m a fan of the Khan Academy approach, because it focuses on concept mastery rather than just doing a certain amount of homework. In current schooling, it’s hard to find the right balance that isn’t too little or too much, but that’s just how it is I guess. OP, perhaps you can ask your teacher for a more suitable workload if you can demonstrate that you already know the material. It probably won’t work, but it’s worth a try.</p>
<p>Finally, let’s talk about extra credit. Like I said at the beginning, I don’t like extra credit because it doesn’t help me improve my GPA since I already have a 4.0 without it. However, I think it’s reasonable to a certain extent, maybe raising a grade by 2 or 3 percentage points since grades naturally vacillate between that range anyway. At my school, EC is particularly important since our school doesn’t give +/- grades. This means that the difference between an 89.9 and a 90.1 is a whole GPA point. At other schools, it’d only be 0.4 GPA points, so I don’t see why extra credit is quite as necessary, but every point counts I guess.
The other points about inconsistency across grading are also valid, and I briefly touched on them, but I don’t want to focus on them as they have already been addressed.</p>
<p>My logic is probably a bit all over the place since I’m typing this on my phone and it’s hard to read. Oh, well.</p>
<p>I agree completely that’s how grades for all classes should be given.</p>
<p>the problem is grade inflation and the way grades are currently looked at. the thing is, if you only go off the tests and HW, then the standards change, and no one is really willing to do that. it would be harder to get an A than before. and that means that an A should count for more. but people aren’t so flexible in adjusting their standards. it doesn’t matter what the class is like, an A is an A. we need to drop that if we want to just base it off understanding of the material.</p>
<p>as for tests not being perfect, that’s true, but the teachers could still give out those extra credit assignments without them being extra credit. its still a unique assessment.</p>
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busy work should be used as practice, but it shouldn’t be graded IMO</p>
<p>I agree completely that’s how grades for all classes should be given.</p>
<p>the problem is grade inflation and the way grades are currently looked at. the thing is, if you only go off the tests and HW, then the standards change, and no one is really willing to do that. it would be harder to get an A than before. and that means that an A should count for more. but people aren’t so flexible in adjusting their standards. it doesn’t matter what the class is like, an A is an A. we need to drop that if we want to just base it off understanding of the material.</p>
<p>as for tests not being perfect, that’s true, but the teachers could still give out those extra credit assignments without them being extra credit. its still a unique assessment.</p>
<p>
busy work should be used as practice, but it shouldn’t be graded IMO</p>
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<p>If you don’t have the ability to do well on tests, then you best learn. There shouldn’t be a safety net for that. If you don’t have natural ability, then you better work as hard as you can and do well; no one should get “cut some slack” because they are bad at something. If you’re bad at something, work harder at it until you can do it well. Life isn’t fair. The world isn’t fair. And the world isn’t obligated to bend over backwards and give you extra credit simply because you will not put in the effort. </p>
<p>As for busy work, it should be the student’s initiative. It should be the student’s responsibility to do the work they choose, depending on how comfortable they feel with the material. If you think you can ace the test with no practice, then fine: you should have that opportunity. And if you need practice, then do the work. That is all there is to it. Homework should be an individual initiative; enforcing it through homework checks and the like is a waste and an unfair way to boost grades.</p>
<p>@TinnyT </p>
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<p>If you are determined to do well on a test, you shouldn’t need the incentive of points to practice. It should all be left to the individual; do how much work they need to. But never should this work give a boost to one’s grades; it isn’t offered in a test-like environment. </p>
<p>And why do we need a test-like environment, you may ask? Well, because testing environments model the real world. If you want to successful in life, you should be familiar with working under a strict deadline, applying tough concepts in a high-pressure situation, etc. </p>
<p>And besides, reality doesn’t give “extra credit.” Why should teachers?</p>
<p>“reality doesn’t give ‘extra credit.’”</p>
<p>Hell yes it does. We all survived infancy, probably have enough to eat, probably have indoor plumbing, etc. You win a totally random life lottery just by being born in a first-world country. People with a high-performing school and supportive parents and no learning disabilities will do even better.
I’m not trying to make excuses for anyone’s bad grades, but there are many reasons besides laziness for why someone would not be doing well in school.</p>
<p>You say that extra credit shouldnt be provided for those who won’t put in the extra effort. But what about those who ARE putting in their best effort? Reality doesnt give extra credit? Are you serious on that one? I have to agree with the above on that one… You cant seriously mean that.
I apologize for any mispellings, etc. Im using my phone and it is hard to see.
Sent from my HTC One S using CC</p>
<p>I dont think that people should just be given extra credit left and right. But sometimes a few points every once in a while can really make a difference to someone who cant just naturally take tests. I know that you said that those people better just work harder, but sometimes that isnt enough. Sometimes people deserve a break. </p>
<p>Sent from my HTC One S using CC</p>
<p>“But what about those who ARE putting in their best effort?”</p>
<p>I will say, though, that I don’t think giving someone a passing grade when they’re not doing well enough won’t help them. It’s not as bad when it’s between an A and a B, but if the issue is between passing and failing, the person probably should fail so that they can learn the material. It’s not helpful at all to move people forward when they’re not ready - regardless of whether they are doing their best or not. One’s best can be improved.</p>
<p>@halyconheather: Yes, but those aren’t based on our own efforts; those are granted by random chance. There’s no person handing out free “success boosts” in reality: you have to work for what you do.</p>
<p>Though I agree; that statement was far too idealistic. What I meant was that the world doesn’t cater to our needs. We have to take responsibility for our own actions and decisions, and not accepting extra credit is a part of that.</p>
<p>@Pinkpoet: If someone is trying their hardest and still cannot pass, then they need to find something else. That’s all there is to it. If you study as hard as you can and still need extra credit to pass, then get out of that class and do something else. Yes, it may be a blow to your ego, but that’s life. If you can’t handle something, then extra credit shouldn’t be there to help you “get by.” It slows down the pace for all students, and prevents those with the capacity to do well from learning as much.</p>
<p>@Pinkpoet:</p>
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<p>Not they don’t. They don’t deserve anything. No one deserves anything than what they’ve worked for. That is all there is to it. People don’t deserve extra credit because they cannot do well on exams. If you can’t do well on exams, you better learn, or you better become accustomed with failure.</p>
<p>“No one deserves anything than what they’ve worked for.”</p>
<p>Sure they do. They’re called rights. Not that extra credit is a right, but just saying.</p>
<p>“No one deserves extra points. No one deserves anything higher or lower than what they have gotten (provided they achieved it honestly)…all that matters: results.”
I simply can’t agree with your opinion on extra credit, because I believe in second chances and you don’t.
This is high school. We’re supposed to be learning something, and stressing over a couple points for a grade because you had a bad day when you took a test isn’t where your attention should be. Extra credit provides some cushioning. I know so many kids who maybe aren’t naturally gifted in a subject, but they’re determined to take the class anyway. Without extra credit, most of them would stay at, for example, honors instead of AP or whatever, and that’s too bad because they work hard for every point they get on a test and they’re the ones who are going to succeed later in life. Basically, obsessing over grades is not the way to go, and while I don’t support extra credit being half your grade I can see it being as much as 5%.
anyway, props to you for never taking ec. That takes guts haha.</p>