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"I find it ironic that posters to Chronicle blogs are so insistent that we hold our political leaders to account for the results ('outcomes') of the war in Iraq, K-12 schools for how they prepare students in our classrooms, and administrators for their work in our schools, but insist that their own work should not be evaluated in the same way -- by its results.” --drj50
New National Alliance Plans to Promote Measurement of Student Learning
Last Presidential Debate Includes First Direct Exchanges on Education
Senator Obama focused on providing more money and enacting reforms, while Senator McCain emphasized giving families choices and encouraging competition.
Accreditor Puts George Washington U.'s Medical School on Probation
The school remains accredited during the probationary period and says it already is taking steps to resolve problem areas.
Duke U.’s Lifter-Uppers: For These Houses, No Reasonable Offer Refused
The university is offering $10,000 to would-be owners of aging homes on the campus. The catch? The buildings must be physically moved.
Schwarzenegger's Veto of Labor Centers Is Said to Threaten Academic Freedom
A letter protests a line-item veto by the governor last month that rejected $5.4-million in funds for labor research at the University of California at Berkeley and at Los Angeles.
Assistant Hoops Coach at Kansas State Makes More Than President
The coach’s success at recruiting a star player has led to an annual salary of $420,000.
Palin Attended 4 Colleges in 5 Years to Earn Diploma | 206
Priest Charged With Dealing Drugs out of U. of Illinois Student Center | 56
University Disciplines 4 Students for Hanging Effigy of Barack Obama | 53
Southern Cal Deletes Muslim Scripture From Web Site Following Complaint | 44
Cutthroat Competition for Textbook Sales Pits UMass Faculty Members Against Bookstore | 42
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February 2, 2007
Southern Cal Disallows Athletes' Grades in Gut Summer Course
An internal audit at the University of Southern California has uncovered widespread grade fraud in a summer course that 20 athletes took at a nearby community college, according to today’s Los Angeles Times.
Last June, the newspaper reported, Southern Cal athletes in more than a half-dozen sports — football, men’s basketball, baseball, and track, as well as women’s hoops, volleyball, and water polo — took a Spanish class at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. They all came looking for Señora Rose Mary Ross, 73, an instructor with a reputation for generous grading. Ms. Ross has denied that she’s a lax grader — well, sort of.
“I’ve never given an easy grade in my life,” she told the Times. “You come to my class and work, and I see you want to learn, I’ll give you an A. I see some lazy ass, coming late all the time, acting like he doesn’t care, I won’t give him an A. I’ll give him a B.”
A Times review of her 25-student Spanish 3 class last summer shows that Ms. Ross gave B’s to five students. All others got A’s. That grade distribution finally set off alarm bells, the newspaper said, and investigations ensued at both colleges.
Southern Cal officials notified students late last year that transfers of the Trade Tech Spanish credits had been rescinded and disallowed. For Trade Tech, embarrassment lingers among staff members worried that the incident will harm its reputation.
“We need to do better,” Marcy Drummond, Trade Tech’s vice president for academic affairs, told the paper.
Posted on Friday February 2, 2007 | Permalink |Comments
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Regrettably these students do not realize that the ultimate victims in such pursuits are themselves. A teacher with Ms. Ross’ attitude needs to go home and stay there.
— R. Meade Walker Feb 5, 02:35 PM #