fp.

Some students accumulated so many points early on that by the end of the term they knew they didn’t need to do more work and could still get an A. Others — often those who had to work or care for family members after school — would fail to turn in their homework and fall so far behind that they would just stop trying.

This paragraph confused me. The article conflates this "points based" system that is based on the volume of work, with the (to me) traditional grades given on tests, that are simply averaged at the end of a school year. Are such points systems common in the US? I have never encountered even one in my schooling in Europe.

grapescheesee•1h ago

I have never seen this and I am from the US. I find it rather alarming. But, I would have abused such a system if it existed in my high school years. I might have gone on to a great college and failed out the first year as a result.

Fezzik•5m ago

One of my favorite classes, Honors Government, actually worked like this - at the beginning of the term we were assigned 15 short essay prompts that were “due” in batches of 3 at equal intervals during the term. But, if we completed the essays early, we got (something like) +5 points out of a 25 possible points on each of the essays. You could also turn the essays in late and would get -5 points. Then there was a final exam with a total possible 50 points. I did all the essays the first 2 weeks of school, scored well, and didn’t have to take the final.

I will note that this was not a common grading scheme when I was in high-school; I graduated in 2000.

_wire_•1h ago

Students are shown that grading is merely a game, so it gets played as a game.

Such discussions as presented here of grading "issues" without deeper pedagogical considerations also regard grading as merely a game, making such discussion pointless to the concern of education.