My SD Moms Terrible students in Orange County have reason to celebrate! The school board has announced that it is eliminating grades that fall below a 50. The ridiculous reasoning behind this major shift?
Officials say this will help students pass who might otherwise give up and even drop out of school. Students might still get an F (which is now from a 50 to 59), but they hope this shift will do wonders for the self-esteem and motivation of those at-risk students.
Administrators also note that this new system won’t apply to individual assignments. Teachers can still give kids a zero for bad work — they just can’t give them below a 50 for a final semester grade. Not surprisingly, teachers’ groups are opposed to the shift. Some feel it’s grade inflation and forces them to commit academic fraud.
It does seem like rewarding failure. If a student is not putting in the work or effort, how will padding his grade be beneficial in the long run? How does this prepare them for life? It gives a false sense of their ability and intelligence. Who does that help?
