Tuesday, November 16, 2004

I love stories like this VII

Benedict College in Columbia, SC, has a new way to grade its students. At least one professor has been fired for refusing to go along with the so-called "Success Equals Effort" grading policy. As freshmen the students are supposed to be graded 60% on attendance and class participation and 40% on traditional performance and test scores. As sophomores the ratio flips the other way, with 60% of the grade based on performance. Juniors and Seniors don't get any breaks: their grades are based 100% on performance only.

One of the fired professors, Milwood Motley, a professor of biology, had a very good point: "If I allowed a student to go to the advanced class knowing that the student would struggle in that other class, probably fail the class, I think I did that student a disservice." Motley and another professor are pursuing court challenges to their firings.

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