<p>I read my friend's letter from DA -- they are not going to have letter grades any more. Students will get "Unsatisfactory," "Needs Improvement," or "Meets or Exceeds Expectations" on their report cards, along with comments by teachers. I would love that!</p>
<p>Hmmm.....sounds different. Are you sure those are not just for the mid-term reports, as opposed to end of term/semester grades?</p>
<p>I think that is great, if true. Our med school did that back in the 70s. Stanford tried to do it, but ended up with allowing pass/fail in all non-major courses. Unfortunately, "the system" made them go back.</p>
<p>As an educator, I was taught that if any student makes a perfect grade on the test, the test was too easy as its purpose is to show what kids don't know, not what they do.</p>
<p>It would be great if all followed.</p>
<p>If my memory is correct, has not Deerfield gotten rid of most of their AP courses?</p>
<p>I love that system. That's how my MS did their grading. We got a few paragraphs of comments, and then check boxes, where we would grade our own performance, and then the teacher would also grade us on the scale stated above. It was always interesting to see how people's ideas differed.</p>
<p>I would love it if Andover decided to go to that system. So much better for the students, I think. Less emphasis on their numbers, far more on how much they contribute and their true understanding of the material.</p>
<p>"Finally, the faculty voted to revise our effort grades. We are moving from a thirteen-tiered system of letter grades to a simpler system employing three descriptors: "Meets or exceeds expectations;" "Needs Improvement;" and "Unsatisfactory." We will rely upon the accompanying teacher comments for subtler inflections within those broad categories. As a general guideline, however, "Needs improvement" will apply to students who are working ineffectively -- with comments indicating ways to be more effective -- and "Unsatisfactory" will apply to students who simply need to put in more time and effort."</p>
<p>The same letter also mentions that Deerfield's faculty "also voted to eliminate fall term exams in favor of an additional week of classes."</p>
<p>So....they will still have letter grades? It sounds like they are only changing the way they grade effort.</p>
<p>Wouldn't this make it harder for colleges to distinguish the top students from the others?</p>
<p>Well, shore, at Deerfield most ARE top students. That's why Deerfield can do this, because they have a reputation.</p>
<p>Edit: Actually, that's probably WHY they changed it. Think about it, at some boarding schools (like DA), you're getting the best. So if you rank them, you're getting the best of the best, but the bottom half could be ignored, even though they still ARE the best.</p>
<p>Gosh I hope we do this at Andover, lol.</p>
<p>The letter clearly reads that the school's system of grading effort will be modified. The traditional grading system for a student's course grade remains a traditional letter grade. Every student receives an effort grade and a course grade (based on tests, quizzes etc.) for each course. Hope this clarifies the change.</p>
<p>Deerfield report cards have two grades on them: your grade for the class on a hundred point scale, and your effort grade (ABCDF). Effort grades are being revised, but the numerical grading that deerfield has had for decades will continue.</p>
<p>i think that would be a horrible idea; to just grade like that. that's not fair to the people who would have gotten As --- i'm sure 'meets expectations' includes something like a b? a three tier system would be good for like preschool. even in elementary school we got a 1,2,3, or 4.</p>
<p>i mean, there is a huge difference between simply meeting expectations, and exceeding them. at least, that's what i've been taught my whole life. Why should people who strive to exceed expectations be lumped in with those who are fine with meeting them?</p>
<p>i would absolutely hate being a student in that system, or even a teacher.</p>
<p>but effort grades is another story; i think that works perfectly haha</p>
<p>Ah I understand.</p>
<p>At my old australian private school we had a three tier effort system as well as the convential A-E grading scheme. </p>
<p>Do Andover have effort grades? Also what weightage do effort grades hold on college applications?</p>
<p>Andover does not have effort grades. We're graded on a 1-6 scale at the end of Autumn, Winter, and Spring terms, with a paragraph or two at the end of Autumn and Spring (but not Winter.) At half-term, we're given a progress report, which has an H (Honors, 5-6), P (Passing, 3-4), or something else, I don't know, but it's a D, then DD (danger) if you're not passing. There are a bunch of grades for if you get lower than a P, but that's pretty much it.
As for college applications, that drastically depends on what college, what your grades are, extracurriculars, legacy, etc. If anyone tries to answer that question in a quantifiable way, I will kill them. Literally perfect grades (significantly above a 5.5) in high classes along with very high stan. tests are usually good enough, on their own, for admittance to any college you want, given the reputation. Beyond that, it REALLY depends.
Btw, shore, I will try to reply to your PM soon. Sorry it's taking me a while, I've had a busy day.</p>