A difficult thing for any of us to support, I'd hope!
If I could infer a moment: the studies are saying that girls don't
participate in class compared to boys, so that grades are their only way of
confirming their abilities. And I've taught/seen enough classes to have
seen this phenomenon. BUT, if we did away with grades/tests, we'd have to
come up with alternative ways of helping kids know that they'd accomplished
something -- presentations and portfolios come to mind -- and I'd like to
think we could design them in such a way that women, ESL students, students
with disabilities, etc would have equal opportunity to learn and
demonstrate that learning.
I detest standardized tests (my current dis-favorite being the Ohio
Proficiency tests -- you should see how poorly they're designed!!!!). But
I'd detest doing anything that would disenfranchise any group whatsoever.
<<Dave>>
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Dave Lewis | Don't be afraid to take a big step.
Educational Technology Specialist | You can't cross a chasm in two small
dlewis@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu | jumps. -David Lloyd George
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