[email protected]

In a message dated 11/29/2001 7:54:43 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:


> > It reminds me of school reform, though, or what passes for it sometimes.
> >
> > Schools got really excited about the idea of going from "grades" to
> indicators (and called them different things). But when an A,B,C,D,F
> system is
> > changed to VG, G, NI, U, it doesn't take kids half a second to figure out
> what's what.
> >
> I went to a university which didn't have a grade option at first.
> The profs were supposed to write a narrative evaluation of
> each student for the quarter. What it ended up as was something like this :
> "Cindy scored above average on the midterm, excellent on the final. She
> turned in an excellent report on ..."
>
>

I went to a college that had no grades (written evaluations), no required
courses, no credits, usually no traditional "tests." We had to write
learning proposals and get an teacher to agree, then you fulfilled your
contract (with changes expected). The neat thing about this was that I've
used those proposal-writing skills over and over, including when dealing with
the school superintendent.

The "problem" with going to my college (Hampshire College in Amherst, MA) was
that it ruined me for more traditional learning--both for myself (not wanting
any traditional grad school programs) and my child.

Kathryn


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