"Speak Out" is an expression of opinion from the Editorial Board of WBTV, and is presented by General Manager, Nick Simonette.
There's a new type of math being discussed in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools…
…and it's driving us crazy.
Now listen to this math word problem and see if you can figure it out:
"If a high school student does absolutely nothing in class, turns in no assignments, and gets a ‘0' on a test…
That student's grade should be…what?"
"Zero," right?
Wrong!
The answer could be "50 points."
That's right…50 points.
Now how crazy is that?
That's what we call "fuzzy math."
"50" could be the lowest grade a student can receive.
Now here's the rationale:
North Carolina is getting ready to overhaul its education system.
CMS thinks now is the time to look over the district's grading procedures in high schools and review how students get promoted to the next grade.
Some proponents think by making 50 the lowest possible grade, failing students may be motivated to not give up – thinking they still could pass the class.
Now we get that. BUT, stick to the old math – where zero equals zero.
Let students earn their way out of a failure; don't reward them for making no effort.
CMS is now getting feedback from teachers about the concept.
While they're still in the input phase, please remind the district that a "0" is NOT a "50," any more than a "50" is a "100."
We hope this idea won't pass the reality test.
Tell us what YOU think. SpeakOut@wbtv.com.
