The essay of Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s by Brent Staples clearly mimics a problem solution essay that is very heavily focused on the problem. Staples takes a very assertive standpoint in insisting that over inflation of grades due to particular pressure on adjunct professors are devaluing degrees from collegiate institutions. Staples is convincing in this assertion as he uses generalized facts, “In some cases, campus wide averages have crept up from a C just 10 years ago, to a B-plus today.” This alarming quotation is used as evidence that supports Staples’ claim of a major problem facing collegiate institutions nationwide. The solution that Staples proposes, is a new grade point average formula.
In Brent Staples “Why Colleges Shower Their Students With A’s”, he claims that professors in colleges in the 1990’s are changing their grading on students assignments so much where that they are just passing out good grades when students don’t even deserve them. Colleges have started to change the whole grading system over the years just to make it look like the students are doing better. For example, “In some cases, campuswide averages have crept up from a C just 10 years ago to B-plus today” (Staples 1). There are many reasons as to why they day this.
The well-known phrase of hard work pays off is a staple of any culture to enforce the ideology that you deserve what you earn. In Brent Staples’, Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A's, he informs the reader of the current situations in colleges and universities involving grade inflation. Grade inflation is devaluing many degrees across the country as an “easy way out” to succeed on both the students and professors ends. Staples makes it known that the higher education, many go back to school for, is being discredited due to the professors in the field. Thus, leaving students at a disadvantage to accept a higher grade, when it is known that they have not fairly earned it.
Brent Staples wrote a beautiful, yet unconvincing article about colleges giving away “free” A’s to students. The article, “Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s,” appeared in 1988 in the New York Times paper (Staples 935). Staples himself has earned a PhD in psychology and is a member of the New York Times editorial board (935). The general purpose of this article was to inform the audience that over the past couple of years, university grading policies have become extremely lenient (935). The audience is a very limited to educational administrations and alumni of major universities.
In the rhetorical analysis essay, “Grade Inflation Gone Wild,” Stuart Rojstaczer addresses that United States higher education has gone downhill. He states in his essay that students are not being academically challenged anymore. The lack of perseverance from the students and faculty has made it easier to pass classes and maintain a good GPA. Stuart claims that, “Grades continue to go up regardless of the quality of education” (68). He believes that grade inflation is a huge issue in our society and that something should be done about it.
students would try their hardest but still wouldn 't get acknowledged for the hard work they’ve overcome. Now they have to struggle to find a job that at least pays good money to support a family. People are suffering just to support their family and have the necessities they need. No matter how hard they try to succeed, it’s not good
Brent Staple’s essay "Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A's" had various elements that helped provided evidence and persuade the readers. The first thing I noticed when reading this essay was the comparison between the marketplace and college. This comparison helps to develop Staple’s argument because it explains something that is unfamiliar by comparing it to something that is more familiar. I can assume that the target readers were business men and women. Since I am unfamiliar with some business terms, I found that this essay explained something that was unfamiliar with something else that was unfamiliar.
Introduction Standardized tests may be used for a wide variety of educational purposes. For example, they may be used to determine a young child’s readiness for kindergarten, identify students who need special-education services or specialized academic support, place students in different academic programs or course levels, or award diplomas and other educational certificates. Thesis Statement Standardized tests should not be eliminated completely, but should rather be evaluated in addition to other factors such as grades, extracurricular activities, and volunteer hours. This would take pressure off of students during standardized tests, allow colleges to see how well-rounded the students are, and give students who are better in other areas
Going Against the Standard According to Tim Walker, “Only 14% of parents say standardized testing is important in measuring school effectiveness” (Walker). A standardized test is a test that is given in a consistent or “standard” manner. Standardized tests are designed to have consistent questions, administration procedures, and scoring procedures. When a standardized test is administered, it is done so according to certain rules and specifications so that testing conditions are the same for all test takers. They often provide some type of “standard score” which can help interpret how far a child score ranges from the average student (Johnson).
Did you know that paying students for having good grades resulted in a decrease in dropout rates, gangs, alcohol, and drug use? Students should get paid for having excellent grades. The reason why this is important is because it could lead to a brighter future for society. Three reasons why students should get paid for having awesome grades is because cash for good grades provide students with career-like rewards, it decreases dropout rates, and with the right incentive,could lead to success. All of those three reasons could and will result in success.
Standardized Testing Many schools put students through standardized testing which in turn places the students in certain classes thought to be right for that student; however, many of these tests do not accurately measure the students capability. Tests that students take, who are in high school, are meant to prepare them for college and to let them know where they stand academically and how much scholarship money they could earn. Today, schools are putting too much importance and emphasis in these tests, the cost to get into college if you do not score well on these tests is infallible, and many students who do well in the classroom and have good grades do not test well, therefore, those students do not get the academic support that they deserve in college. Standardized test are meant to place students academically where they belong and also retain
Unfortunately not all school system do, or are able to teach in the fashion. Creating a significant bias as the environment of those in a different school impacts their ability to pass a standardized test. Therefore standardized testing is not effective due to the inherent bias
Growing up, from first grade until graduation, like clockwork students are required to take standardized tests. In Arizona we had the Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards or AIMs. During a student's sophomore year it was a requirement to take the math, reading, and writing versions and pass to graduate. The problem was not that a standard was made, the problem was that the testing for that standard came only halfway though a students time in high school.
States education leaders get change if the performance doesn’t meet with the standard. (Education Week) Though there are risk such as low scores will force the student in repeating the same grade or a class. And if there is too many low score in the school, then the school could lower its funding or close down. And the standardized test determine if the teachers and schools are accountable to
Colleges today still teach us what we need to know, but the focus is on making an A rather than truly learning. Maybe that focus has shifted because teachers and other adults have put the importance on making that 4.0 GPA, maybe it is because students have become lazy in a sense, or maybe its because students have learned that the grading system is not always fair and have adjusted their learning to what each teacher wants to read. I believe that it is the last one, I think it is time to focus on fixing the grading system. Author Scott Jaschik wrote an article “Getting out of Grading” on the grading system, and how a teacher who was returning to teaching implemented a different method of grading.
