In Massachusetts many public schools are trying to change the traditional report card. At my school, the proposed report card will remove homework and participation from the actual grade in the class. Grades will be only based on test/essays/ect. In addition, the school wants to do away with the common practice of teachers deducting points off grades for tardies. The reason for the proposed change is to create a grade that better represents a student's progress and achievement in class. However, I feel that students should be held accountable for failure to complete homework and to come on time to class. Basically, the proposal is encouraging students to stop doing homework. Are any of your schools trying to change the report card? What does everyone think?

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Originally posted by Bushsupporter:
Ya that first sentence was sarcasm. I really don't think that this is a good way to prepare kids for the reasl world.

Ohh, gotcha, glad we agree on something.

Ya that first sentence was sarcasm. I really don't think that this is a good way to prepare kids for the reasl world.

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Originally posted by Bushsupporter:
This is a great way to prepare kids for college and the real world. In college you can be academically punnished for tardies and absences and failure to do homework. And in the real world you can get fired for showing up late or not at all. Attendence and homework and participation are not out of line things to measure academeic performance.

Bushsupporter, I think you do not understand the nature of the proposal. Under this proposal factors like tardies and homework do NOT affect your overall grade in a class.

Homework NOW (as in high school) is only included as part of the grade, and usually a fairly small percentage, to increase our belief in actually doing then and in the future.

Swimem, please don't make your script pink. It's really hard to read when the background is white. Thanks.

I plan on going to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (or the United States Naval Academy...but probably UNC.) And, no, most professors there do not take up your homework. I never said you shouldn't do homework; I simple said it shouldn't be required. I am a firm believer in that by the time you get to high school (especially junior and senior year) you should be responsible enough to do what you need to do to pass the class. If you fail the class, that's your problem and your future you are ruining. Some kids need to do homework, some don't. Why should I have to do busy work (which is what most homework is at my school) when I've already learned the material? And, just so you know, your high school GPA does not always have a direct connection to how successful you will become later in life.

my point was that homework does improve your grades (if you do it) and should be included in the grades

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because of this people that graduate from my school have a much higher GPA than most ( not all ) graduates from public schools.

This is why I am ashamed of only going to private schools all my life. "But I'm better than public school kids!"...

smimem511, what college do you want to go to? in college if you do not do your homework you will not pass the class. at my high school if you do not get all your homework done you get a zero for a quiz grade and if that happens 3 times you get a zero for a test grade. because of this people that graduate from my school have a much higher GPA than most ( not all ) graduates from public schools.

I think this is a wonderful idea. Many colleges (at least not any I want to go to) don't require you to do homework. You can not show up the entire semester except on test days and still make an A. You just have to get the work done. A lot of higher level jobs are like that too. Students need to learn how to self-motivate. There will not always be a teacher there saying, "Ok...do the 20 reading questions and be here tomorrow at 8!" I like the way my AP Biology teacher does it. She suggests homework, but doesn't take it up. You can come in a little late but don't disrupt the class. She doesn't count absences unless your grades start slipping. And she grades on the 10 point scale that colleges use, not the 7 point one most high schools do. It teaches us independence and self-motivation, which are both much more important in the long run than learning what organelles are in what cells.

This is a great way to prepare kids for college and the real world. In college you can be academically punnished for tardies and absences and failure to do homework. And in the real world you can get fired for showing up late or not at all. Attendence and homework and participation are not out of line things to measure academeic performance.

Because I went there and I graduated valedictorian. Whats wrong with having a little school spirit?

In4ar3d, don't disrupt this thread with your irrelevent links about your high school band. I thought you said you went to Harvard, so why are so excited about some high school band?

LINK TO THREAD WHERE YOU COULD SEE THE VID AND STORY ON THE ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND REPRESENTING THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AT THE INGARUATION
http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/455299255/m/45010426763

http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/455299255/m/45010426763


http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/455299255/m/45010426763

http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/455299255/m/45010426763
http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/455299255/m/45010426763
http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/455299255/m/45010426763
http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/455299255/m/45010426763
http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/455299255/m/45010426763
http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/455299255/m/45010426763

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Originally posted by confettikiss06:
[QUOTE] Yes my school is trying to do that... they are doing more of the weighed thing however where are teh points for hte kid trying gonna come from??? this isnt college

You said in another thread that you attend college, more specifically Harvard.[/QUOTE

Old high school yea i go visit and if you are questioning me maybei should get my certificate of acceptance and take apicture of it with me.

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Originally posted by confettikiss06: He approved a proposal to give scholarships (usable at MA state colleges only) to the top 10% MCAS scores, claiming that this would enable poorer students a chance to go to college. I think this is flawed since most economically disadvantaged teens live in poor districts that tend to do horribly on the MCAS. In fact this MCAS scholarship program would benefit the richer students...

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That's a good point. I thought he was doing it to attract the better students to UMASS Amherst. It certainly is an appealing proposal to some lower/middle class families with smart kids, since it costs so much to go to a private college. I'll recieve that scholarship next year, but I'm not going to a state school.

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Originally posted by confettikiss06:P.S. Not including homework in the criteria for grades would motivate students NOT to do their homework.

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Yeah, that fact is quite obvious to our entire community, besides the adminsistration.

Oh, for those who don't know, the MCAS is a statewide achievement exam in Massachusetts. It is required that students pass it for graduation. Do any other states have the equivalent of the MCAS?

I think that the whole highschool system should be made mroe like college in order to properly prep students for college/university life. I think all of grade 12 should resemble college life, i.e. don't come to class just make sure you know the material and can pass the test and make sure you get the assignment done and handed in. I also think they should increase essay difficulty as there's a huge leap from a 4 pg max essay to a 10pg essay. That's just my 2 cents

Yes, many professors will make the final exam worth anywhere from 10% to 100% of the final grade.

At my school, most teachers make the tests worth 25-35% of the final grade, but the 10% for finals is weighed after that grade. People who earn a 93 or better (A's in my school district) are exempt, which is why they do it that way.

Heh.

What is MCAS? Like a proficiency test?

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Yes my school is trying to do that... they are doing more of the weighed thing however where are teh points for hte kid trying gonna come from??? this isnt college

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You said in another thread that you attend college, more specifically Harvard.