School and the Students

[ckj846]

Looking at someone's GPA usually tells how smart they are and how hard they work. I found it strangely ironic that kids with Honors and AP classes get far better grades than kids with easier classes like College Prep. Shouldn't this be the other way around? You would think that an easier class would mean better grades overall. Is there really that big of a gap between the College Prep kids and the Honors kids? I, myself, am in all honors and next year, I will have 3 AP classes. You would think that most kids would crack under stress and pressure and would do poorly in such a high workload, but this is not the case. However, on the next rung down on the education ladder, kids are struggling with the College Prep courses. This gap between 'Honors' and 'College Prep' kids really took me by surprise. Any thoughts and/or comments?
O_o

[Specialsock]

RE: School and the Students

Sigh, and you're in honors? Easy question, Honors and AP are worth more. And you say you're in honors? That's pitiful and shows you how messed up education is.

[Tonberry_Kid]

RE: School and the Students

Well, the fact is, usually people that are more intellectual, like those of the AP and Honor students, do better do to the fact that they're smarter and could possibly(possibly being the keyterm) do better than the people in the College prep courses. Plus being in an AP or Honors class, requires more maturity and responsibility than that of a College Prep course, do to the fact that AP and Honors classes help your GPA significantly.

With that being said all I have to say is....holy shit thats like the best ive ever typed in my life that wasnt being graded for something roflmao

[jewpinthethird]

RE: School and the Students

For the majority of my high school career I have had honors classes, and one AP class, though it was art and doesnt really count in terms of intellegence. Last year, I took IB English HL1, which is similar to AP, only it follows an international rubric, and it is absolute bullshit. Literally. Mind you, I was not an "IB student", I just took the class since the school couldnt fund both an IB and AP English course. Yes, the IB students were bright, intellegent, but over all, they were some of the laziest people I have ever met. They just had the ablity to bullshit extremely well. Ten page essay on the symbolism in Ethan Frome? Mere child's play to them. They'd just pull stuff out of their ass and type it up the night before.

Not all of the IB students were lazy, just the majority of them.

[Tonberry_Kid]

RE: School and the Students

yea and most IB students have no freakin' life...thats why i avoid things over AP(i think IB is a little tougher)but i no i could do IB stuff...just dont feel like being smart and all....takes too much energy

[Specialsock]

RE: School and the Students

Still, AP classes are WORTH more
An A in CP isn't worth as much as an A in AP

[Tonberry_Kid]

RE: School and the Students

well....an A in AP is worth i think 5 GPA pts...while in a CP class its only 4...
AP
A=5
B-4
C=3
D-2
F=0
Normal Classes
A=4
B-3
C=2
D-1
F=0

[esupin]

RE: School and the Students

The difference in people's intellect should not really be surprising. It's like why can I run a 58s 400m and other kids can run it in under 50? They got good genes.

School is not as important as you think; taking only CP classes does not mean you will fail at life. As long as you get into a decent college, your chances of success are about the same(sure, you might become a doctor, but plumbers make just as much).

Oh, and most honors kids do not work harder than kids taking CP classes. I know many kids that pull off A- 's in honors classes and give it no effort. Of course, then there are kids who work their tails off for an A-, but those are rare.

[ckj846]

RE: School and the Students

But what I mean is that if a great student in CP courses who has a 97% or so would probably get around a 80% in a honors of AP class. My point is that the gap between CP and Honors is so great, it comes as a HUGE shock to me.
O_o

[esupin]

RE: School and the Students

I kind of know what you mean. I have a class called ADC, where I tutor kids who aren't that hot at school. On Friday, one of them had to ask me how to find the third side of a triangle given the other two sides.

And I thought everyone in the America knew the sum of the interior angles of a triangle = 180 degrees.

[Reach]

RE: School and the Students

I can't speak for the american schooling system, but honestly, grades mean shit about your intelligence. I boosted my average 6% this semester with a harder course load. I did not get 6% smarter. Grades are a reflection of your work habbits, and your mind set towards what you are doing. If you are dedicated, you will get the paybacks. People that arn't in the higher level classes or whatever they are in the states, usually arn't as hard of workers. Regardless of their classes being easier, they will never work as hard for the marks and therefor do not get them.

That are some people are naturally good at writing tests. Its true. That, and they have been brought up to do well in school, so they progressivly get better at it through their schooling. Doing well on tests is not a reflection of how much you know, but is a reflection of how well you have performed on the given tests. Some people are quite good at it.

[ckj846]

RE: School and the Students

I agree with Reach. Grades really are just a reflection of work ethics and your learning habits. Teachers are there merely to alter your learning habits and improve on skills that you have. I guess this would mean that people in CP classes have less effective work ethics. It just doesn't seem possible that the gap between grades and learning styles could be so great between the honors and CP kids.
O_o

[iamderajbackward]

RE: School and the Students

GPA and school grades are more a measure of effort than understanding. A person can barely get material but put hour upon hours into a project and do it well, when an intelligent person can get it good enough in a fraction of the time. As for the gap, kids who have the ambition to take higher level classes put in the time it needs to do well as well as get the concepts, while kids in CP classes have a decent understanding, and/or put no effort into the class. Though, in some cases you have a person who is very intelligent, and has only needed the bare minimum through the school career, so when they reach highschool or college they don't want to put in the effort it takes out of habitual laziness. Tadah

Jared

*Edit* 6/5 I guess I just rephrased Reach

[fusi0n]

Re: RE: School and the Students

That are some people are naturally good at writing tests. Its true. That, and they have been brought up to do well in school, so they progressivly get better at it through their schooling. Doing well on tests is not a reflection of how much you know, but is a reflection of how well you have performed on the given tests. Some people are quite good at it.

So how do tests not measure how much you know on a given subject? Obviously they measure something. I guess what you're saying would be valid for tests that involve essays, and that's if you can't write them very well.

I haven't taken classes as difficult as I should due to sheer lazyness. A lot of work I see AP students do just seems like bullshit and a waste of time. I'm taking a few AP and honors classes next year though because it just looks better for colleges and they aren't very hard anyways, they're just more work to do.

[psychic25]

RE: Re: RE: School and the Students

Yes, I agree with Reach. Grades do NOT reflect on intelligence, just work habits.

And as for tests, obviously, there are tests that you cannot BS- the memorization-type stuff. Anybody who works hard can do that.

But why is there such a huge gap? Well, I do think a big part of it has to do with the students in the class. I've noticed that many of the people in my Geography CP class are distracting to the point of disruption. That class is a horrible learning environment.

In the AP/honors classes, the people who get in are generally the ones with good work habits, so the class will be more mellow, and make a much better environment. Also, I've noticed that the better teachers tend to teach the AP/honors classes rather than the CP classes.

One example: I have a friend in CP Science, who recently had a test on cell division. In Biology, we had gone over this thoroughly, so I was able to explain the idea to him. When we finished, he said that "OMG, I just learned two weeks worth of material in half an hour. The teacher didn't teach us ANYTHING". Exact same subject, but the Biology teacher taught it well and the regular science teacher taught it badly (or so I gather).

Worse learning environments, coupled with (mostly) worse teachers probably help to drag the CP students down quite a bit.