zlacker

>>lxm+(OP)
I’m sure every generation feels like the next is going to turn the world to hell… but what the hell? I find it absolutely bonkers that gifted classes, math, homework and objective performance assessments are suddenly under fire as instruments perpetuating inequality. Does our education system leave much to be desired? Absolutely! Let’s pay teachers more and improve access to quality education for all students, not cognitively handicap the next generation.

>>throwa+2o
A decade ago my high school had two buckets:

* students in mostly AP classes who were college bound

* students in no AP classes who were mostly not college bound, or were at least limited to community colleges and state schools (Which are great choices! But often have lower success rates and career outcomes)

For the AP students grades were a joke because all the teachers would happily give out extra credit to any student who wanted it, all in the name of college admissions.

For everyone else grades were a joke because all the students cared about was passing, and teachers REALLY wanted students to graduate, and would give grade bumps to any student who needed it.

I believe most schools suffer from this sort of grade inflation, to the point that grades are at best useful for loose categorization (i.e. A+ students, A-C students, F students) and thats it. It never was and never will be a true meritocracy at scale.

>>tmp_an+Io
I was with you until your last statement.

It extremely easy to make it a meritocracy: just impose an externally-graded exam at the end. Then, the students cannot cheat (because it won't be their teachers grading them), and the teachers don't have an incentive to cheat (because high grades with low final exam will reveal their fraud).