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Monday, January 24, 2005
The Bonus Points Conundrum
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the weekend, my colleague Laura Diamond wrote about a topic I get calls on all the time: how some districts add more bonus points on advanced class grades than others. For example, if a student takes an Advanced Placement course in Fulton County, she gets 7 points added to her average (An 87 miraculously becomes a 94). But the Gwinnett County student taking the same course gets 10 points added. Her 87 becomes a 97! Parents and students want to know: HOW IS THAT FAIR?
Well, Georgia gives school districts as much autonomy to set policies as possible, and many a battle has been waged over how far so-called local control should go. The state Department of Education has hinted that it might make a run at setting a standardized grading scale. Meanwhile, some colleges say they strip away those bonus points when they get the students’ transcripts anyway and urge parents and kids not to get so worked up over it.
Why the bonus points? Because school officials fear students would opt for the easier courses where getting an A is a given. Also, some say students should be rewarded for the additional time and effort that goes into an Advanced Placement course. (Some districts also weight honors courses leading up to AP courses, International Baccalaureate courses and Joint Enrollment courses taken at local colleges.)
Everyone seems to agree that college admissions should be fair. With competition so intense, admission can depend on a whisker’s difference on the GPA. But getting past local school boards’ desire for “local control” is a toughie in Georgia. What do you think?
Contest Update: I’ve only gotten one entry. It’s a good one, but the race for the darkly humorous “Peterson’s Parent’s Guide to the SAT & ACT” is still wide open. E-mail me your best eduspeak word ASAP. The window for entries closes Friday at 5 p.m. Today, I heard a good one: Vertical Teaming. It’s when teachers of the same subject but for different grades get together and plan so their lessons fit together. Great concept, lousy term IMHO.
