Ethical Question ???

Question

Is it eithical (or right) or base a students iltelligence based on a letter grade?

Or should the public school system completly get rid of the whole A through F system and come up with one that actually can assess each student by his or her means ?

Answer 1

Well, that would be a better way of going about it.

But since every person has different abilities and learning rates, it would cost BILLIONS extra.

And taxpayers are not willing to cough up the dough.

Answer 2

They are not basing the kid's intelligence on a grade.  They are measuring their ability to absorb, comprehend, and explain the material they were supposed to learn.  The smartest kid won't be able to do that if they don't put in the basic amount of work, which means that no employer or college will want to bother with someone that lazy.  

Answer 3

I teach and I don't believe in grading...unfortunatly it's so ingrained in society that it's not likely to disappear.  Certainly intelligence CANNOT be judged my letter grade.  Often good grades is more a sign of work ethic than natural intelligence.  If you're interested in famous philosophers that have argued against grading, check out Punished By Rewads by Alfie Kohn.

Answer 4

I don't think ethics has anything to do with it, nor do I think anyone is basing intelligence on a letter grade.

Answer 5

well to provide an accurate assesment for each student would be nice. it would be VERYcostly and I'm sure im not alone in saying "not with my tax dollars"

Answer 6

It's a pretty basic scale, with ten points inbetween each category. I think it works perfectly fine. It's been broadened to pluses and minuses.

I don't think assessing by means would work, because the chances of every school coming up with a new system, would be impossible, plus that would only start a new system like the one we have now, thus same problem.

Answer 7

Well, hears the thing. If school start judging kids based on their abilities, there will be no incentive to work for it. If I passed a class because I had the ability to pass it, I wouldn't have learned how to work for that "pass". In life, even though you don't get letter grades, you are constantly being evaluated. You are evaluated by your boss, your peers, etc. Part of school is to prepare you for the real world and evaluations are a part of the real world.

That being said... I don't believe a letter grade is the best form of evaluation, but neither the schools nor the government is prepared to use tax dollars to create a new system.