Is Grade Inflation inHigh School Real

Is Grade Inflation inHigh School Real SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips High school grades are very important in the college application process, but they may not always be the most accurate reflection of a student’s abilities. Grade inflation is a problem in many high schools, and it can result in issues down the line in terms of college performance and admissions chances. In this article, I’ll go through what grade inflation is and how it affects you as a high school student. What Is Grade Inflation? Unfortunately, grade inflation is not when your teacher decides to give you a balloon with your grade written on it instead of a report card (that would be kind of nice because even if you did badly, hey, a balloon).Grade inflation is when average grades are skewed artificially high because class assessments are too easy and/or teachers are too lenient. If grades are inflated because a teacher is an easy grader, the average grade for a class will not accurately reflect the quality of the students’ work.A student might get an A on a project that really deserved no more than a B.If grades are inflated because a teacher gives easy assignments, the average grade will only reflect students’ ability to complete simple tasks and not an understanding of the complexities of the material.Often, both of these problems are present at once in the case of classes that have severe grade inflation. Grade inflation happens for several reasons.High schools want to look good in comparison to other schools with less grade inflation, so it’s beneficial for them to give out high grades even if those grades are not fully earned.This makes the student body look more high-achieving and the teachers appear more effective.Some teachers may also avoid giving low grades because kids and parents will complain and make more trouble for the teacher than it’s worth. Teachers might also give higher grades to students who haven’t fully earned them because they don’t want to ruin students’ chances for college or prevent them from participating in extracurricular activities.Since a much higher percentage of students attend college nowadays, it makes sense that average grades have risen significantly.A decent GPA is critical if a student hopes to be accepted to college, and teachers don’t want to ruin anyone’s future. Grade inflation? Is Grade Inflation a Problem in High Schools? Overall, yes, grade inflation is an ongoing issue in high schools.This is not to say that all grades in high school are inflated; situations vary significantly from school to school and also between classes in the same schools.Based on the data, however, we can see a general trend towards higher average high school grades over the years. From 1990 to 2009, average high school GPA increased by .33 points for female students (from a 2.77 to a 3.1) and .31 points for male students (from a 2.59 to a 2.9). In 2007, the National Household Education Survey reported that 81% of high school students receive mostly As and Bs in their classes.The average high school GPA is now around a 3.0, which translates to a B average. High schools don’t want to look like they’re performing poorly in comparison to the competition, so they may give students more slack to avoid high numbers of failing grades or a larger percentage of dropouts. Is Grade Inflation a Problem at Colleges? It’s not just high schools that struggle with grade inflation.Colleges are even worse offenders, and it’s often the most selective colleges that have the biggest problems with grade inflation.The average GPA at four-year colleges is around a 3.1, but grades may be more or less inflated based on the school you attend and the major you study.For example, the average GPA for education majors is a 3.36 while the average GPA for chemistry majors is a 2.78.Overall, humanities majors have higher GPAs on average.As I mentioned, highly selective private colleges tend to have the worst grade inflation. The average GPA at Stanford is a 3.55!You can learn more about average college GPAs in this article. Grade inflation is more of a problem in college for several reasons.Professors are sometimes judged based on student feedback, and students who earn poor grades often blame the professor or criticize the class in retaliation. This happens mostly with adjunct professors who have semester-long contracts that may or may not be renewed based on their performance. Bad reviews can be very harmful to new professors who are vulnerable in their careers. Students and parents also expect high grades so that they can feel like they’re getting the most for their money (this partially explains why expensive private colleges have more problems with grade inflation).Professors also don’t want to ruin students’ chances in the job world or the graduate school application process.Since the world has normalized Bs as average, giving out lower grades can do a lot of damage to a student’s future. I THINK this book is satire, but I'm not totally sure. Some people have a weird fascination with preppiness.Also, what's more inflated at private schools? The grades or the egos? Zing! What Are the Consequences of Grade Inflation? Grade inflation in high schools has numerous positive and negative repercussions for students.It is a problematic trend in general, but it can provide some benefits to students who are struggling. The Positives: More Students Have a Chance of Attending College Grade inflation in a high school means that more students will have good GPAs and better chances of attending higher education institutions.Of course, since colleges know that grade inflation exists, many have adopted higher admissions standards. However,in schools with grade inflation, more students will meet the bare minimum requirements for getting into college. Students with GPAs that are above a 2.0 (or a C average) in high school can usually expect to be admitted to at least one less selective college as long as their test scores aren’t extremely low.This means that even students who perform at a level significantly below average in high school have a chance of attending college.Some students end up doing much better in college than in high school because they’re more interested in what they’re studying and are less distracted by problems at home. Students Are Less Likely to Give Up on Education If you’re failing a class, it can be tempting to say â€Å"I’m not cut out for this† and stop trying or drop out of school completely.Since teachers are giving out fewerfailing grades, this is less common now than it was even twenty years ago.The overall high school dropout rate fell from 12 percent in 1990 to just 6 percent in 2013. Earning a high school diploma at minimum is very important for future employment prospects.Many students who otherwise would have failed out of school may have access to a more promising future because of various forms of grade inflation.This is not to say that the lowering of the dropout rate is solely due to grade inflation.Grade inflation is just one of the contributing factors to a positive educational trend. Your kindergarten diploma can only get you so far. You have to know the names of WAY more shapes to function in the adult world. The Negatives: It’s Harder for Top Students to Stand Out When grade inflation is an issue, it means that it’s more difficult to differentiate between students.Since so many people get high grades, it can be hard to separate relatively average students from excellent students.Grades only go up so high, and if you lower the ceiling, more people are going to be able to reach it.This can be harmful because it prevents students with lots of potential from distinguishing themselves and may damage their chances of getting into selective colleges.Grade inflation gives even the highest grades less significance in the eyes of admissions officers. Colleges Have to Rely More Heavily on Test Scores If admissions officers notice that a high school has GPA distribution patterns that indicate grade inflation (like a higher than normal percentage of students earning As in most of their classes), it’s hard for them to separate the average students from the great students without using test scores.This means that the admissions decision will rely less on GPA and more on test scores, which can be detrimental for some students. For example, a student might be very academically driven but earn a mediocre standardized test score because they didn’t have time to prep effectively.This student would be penalized by grade inflation because their high GPA wouldn’t mean as much in the eyes of colleges.He or shewould be seen as a less qualified applicant than other students with slightly higher scores but average academic ability masked by grade inflation. Colleges are looking for quality, and test scores are an easy way for them to make judgments. Every admissions office is also haunted by a strange blue and white figure known only as "The Gradient." Sometimes when they work late, admissions officers can hear him whisper "quality" softly into their ears. Schools With Less Grade Inflation May Be Penalized One of the reasons why grade inflation has continued to rise is because schools fear that they will fall behind if they don’t conform to new GPA standards.Students at a school with severe grade inflation may look better on paper to colleges than students at a school without grade inflation even if both groups have exactly the same ability level.This means that schools are pressured to adopt lower standards for high grades so that they can maintain a good reputation and avoid putting their students at a disadvantage. Students Are More Unprepared for College When high school grades are inflated, students end up with a skewed idea of the amount of effort they need to put into their schoolwork in order to get good grades.They may be earning high grades for work that is barely up to the basic standards at some colleges. This can lead to a very tough academic adjustment period at the beginning of college.Students are often discouraged when they find that they can’t get the same results in college classes as they did in high school.They may not know how to study or write effectively because their growth in these areas was stunted by classes in high school that were too easy. Unprepared students vs. the college workload: a truly Sisyphean journey How Can You Tell If Your School Has Grade Inflation, and What Should You Do About It? It should be relatively easy to figure out whether your high school is a part of the grade inflation trend. If you look up the average GPA for your school online and find that it's a 3.0 or higher, your school has a higher than average rate of grade inflation. This also depends on whether your school uses weighted or unweighted GPAs. If it uses weighted GPAs, it's reasonable to expect the average GPA to be slightly higher. If your school has problems with grade inflation, don't worry too much about making big changes to your academic strategies. However, there are certain things that are even more important for students who go to high schools with significant grade inflation. Taking difficult classes is always a good idea if you hope to be admitted to selective colleges, but it's even more critical at this type of high school. If most students' grades are artificially high, the best way to show that you're a cut above is to take the most demanding courses you can. Even if grade inflation is a problem, high grades in these courses will carry significantly more weight with colleges and will show that you went the extra mile to challenge yourself. Standardized test scores are also more important if you go to a school with grade inflation. If colleges can't fully trust your grades to give them an accurate picture of your academic abilities, they will look more closely at your test scores. It's a good idea to prepare extensively for the SAT or ACT so that you end up with an impressive score that validates your high GPA. Go forth and conquer the college application process! Also, if you recognize the hairy arm in this picture, please notify the police - this guy is wanted for the murder of the Sun. Conclusion Grade inflation is a problem in high schools across the country.The average grades of high school students have risen significantly over the past twenty years.This is a result of increased competition amongst high schools as more students go on to attend college. Avoiding handing out bad grades is often advantageous for the administration, but it can hurt students down the road in some cases.Although grade inflation may allow more students to attend college, it also means that they're underprepared and are judged less accurately in the admissions process.Grade inflation makes it difficult for admissions officers to assess student abilities and reach validconclusions. Grade inflation may or may not be a big problem at your high school. To combat its negative effects, keep challenging yourself academically, and don't get too comfortable with an easy A! What's Next? Are you concerned about your academic performance in high school? Here's a step by step guide to calculating your GPA based on your grades so farand some advice on how to improve before you apply to college. How do you know if your GPA is good enough? Check out this article to find out what a good or bad GPA might mean for you. You can also read our expert guide on which classes you should take in high school to learn more about structuring your schedule. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Sales managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sales managment - Essay Example Progeon- the subsidiary of Infosys works with international clients spread across the globe and as such, it handles diverse languages, behaviors, expectations and demands (Charlotte 2005). Though it has carved a niche in the call centre market by its innovative training and development programs, yet dynamic forces surrounding globalization and ever changing customer demands place hurdles every now and then. Cultural mismatches have lately become commonplace as companies are intending towards mergers, acquisitions and partnerships with global clients. The industry in which Progeon operates is truly global in the sense that it provides voice and data job services to multinationals by addressing the calls of the clients located worldwide. Thus, global in context of Progeon refer to a 360 degree view of the entire globe. Keeping this fact in mind, it is imperative that Progeon well-trained staff, even after rigorous training is still exposed to cultural issues. Snapshot of those issues with their reason and probable solutions are detailed below: Every person has his own standards of understanding and believing what is wrong and what is right, based on the culture in which he is brought up. The degree of fairness in behavior, dealings and communication also rests on this basic premise of ethical standards. Though the staff at Progeon is imparted training of accent and language, yet they do not operate in the local culture of the customer to which they talk or address the call to. Thus, there remain chances of breach of fairness and violation of ethical standards from both sides and there is no yardstick to measure who has done what and to what extent. This defies the fundamental principle of sales management which starts with rapport and confidence building. As stated above, sales management bears fruits when exercised in the local settings of

LLM Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LLM Application - Essay Example The company I work for operates and owns mining of coal and transportation infrastructure in Colombia. As pertains to my academic qualifications, I pursued my high school education at Helevetia School in Bogoto, Colombia between the years 1985 and 1999. I graduated with French baccalaureate and a Colombian bachelor’s degree. Thereafter, I joined Javeriana University where I studied graduate attorney studies between the years 1999 and 2004. In the year 2005, I went to McGill University in Canada where I had my postgraduate studies and attained proficiency in Business Law and English. In 2007, I graduated from Andes University in Colombia with a postgraduate studies in Colombian Business law. I latter went to Javeriana University where I pursued Labor and Social Security Law. I graduated with a master in labor Attorney. As a result of my diversification in areas of education, I can conveniently converse in Spanish. Moreover, being a Swiss national, I can competently converse in French and also converse in English as a fluent second language. With regard to my professional qualifications, I worked at Brigard & Urrutia Abogados in Colombia between April 2006 and July 2007. It is a law firm that specializes in labor and business law and has a repute of satisfaction of its customers due to provision of high quality legal services. I reported to a taxes manager and held the position of labor and Immigrant attorney. In my capacity, I was responsible for advising foreigners on legal issues in Colombia. I was also involved with the human resource issues and aided in advising the clients about their immigration policies. I was also involved in the administration capacity as pertained to remuneration and compensation, labor proceedings, and immigration proceedings. I also executed settlement agreements between the clients we served. During my practicing in this law firm, I was able to reorganize and manage immigration and human resource areas. Thereafter, I worked a t Posse, Herrera, Ruiz & Abogados between July 2007 and June 2008, a company that had a larger base of services; tax planning, litigation both local and international, acquisitions and mergers, and labor and immigration law. I was responsible for labor and immigration Attorney issues at social security, labor and immigration. I also gave legal insights into human resource issues and was able to achieve the opening of immigration and labor area of practice. Between January 2009 and May 2010, I held the position of Attorney in charge of labor relations area and worked at ING Pension and Severance Fund Inc where I reported to the human resource manager. My responsibilities were similar to those carried out in my previous capacities hence making me more competent in the performance of my activities. In addition to then, I was also able to provide legal advice to the foreigners, handled disciplinary proceedings of the firm and management functions. I was able to achieve as pertained to c ontrolling trade unions and aided in channeling complaints of workers through working with labor relations. It is with view of my interest in labor and social security law that I desire to pursue a LL.M program at your institution. This is as a result of the globalism of legal policies and legal practices. The global community of lawyers calls for the need of lawyers to comprehend legal issues that are beyond their scope. The learning of LL.M will enable me to be better equipped to not only serve that legal society with my vast knowledge, but to also serve the community. This is since I will be more prepared and equipped to face the changing law world and the increasing requirements by the society for a knowledgeable lawyer. Moreover, having help

Application of Key Systems Theory Concepts Essay Example for Free

Application of Key Systems Theory Concepts Essay Bright Light Limited (BLL) has grown wide and far. It envelopes several departments which function according to the information provided to it. It collectively contributes to the efficient functioning of the enterprise. All its departments require several Information system’s to manage its data and evaluate the productivity of the resources. It has occupied a good share in the market because of its quality and excellent service. Presently, the use of IS is not done in full force. It once decided to implement a CAD/CAM system but no avail. The operations of all the departments cannot be tracked and any irregularities of the organization are not captured. This may lead to poor quality of goods and service. The IS would bring the elements of the organization to the same page so that every department can interact with each other to share information anytime and be in synchronization with the developments taking place. All the loopholes and exceptional cases can be captured to optimize the use of resources. Proper engineering principals have been discussed so that every requirement is enveloped into the IS and can be managed to optimize the present working of the organization. The implementation of IS would give a defined structure to the organization and stay in healthy communication with all the departments. The IS would be an organization itself and would manage all the resources effectively. The involvement of IS would enable them to compete with international threats in the market. B) Task 1 BLL has several suppliers such as producers of electronic components, glass, transistors and many others. The company purchases raw materials from these suppliers are integrate them to make a deliverable product. The final product is sold to a number of local, national and international wholesalers and retailers. The involvements of the departments are quite evident in the process of transition from materials procurement to final delivery. 1. Application of Key Systems Theory Concepts: The entire process of input-process-output is quite evident in the process of rendering customers with products and services. The inputs are in the form of customer request. Primarily the development of products would be done based on the previous goods sold and the feedback received. The type of products namely light bulbs and fluorescents are manufactured by the organization and sold to the retailers and wholesalers nationwide and internationally. Figure 1 : System diagram of the Organization process. a. Inputs: The nature of inputs is in the form of customers’ orders and feedbacks. They are also in the form of raw materials procured from the suppliers which ultimately are processed to form finished goods. Once the customer places the orders, according to the dimension of the order, it is taken up for compliance. The right amount of raw materials is ordered from the suppliers and it passes through the design process. The final product after the quality check is delivered to the customer in time. The process of selling might be over at this stage but marketing group takes over to get the feedback and improve their service conditions and product quality for greater satisfaction. So at this stage the customers’ order and feedback both act as inputs to the organization. The raw materials purchased from the suppliers also act as inputs for the finished products. b. Process: There are a number of processes which are present in the organization that directly and indirectly influence the working of the organization and in shaping various forms of output. The most crucial process is the ordering of raw materials after an order is placed. This process is quite essential for the further processing of the order, its quality factors, timely delivery and customer satisfaction. The next process would be the combination of the raw materials so that the correct blend enables to produce quality goods for gaining customer satisfaction. Another process would be to collect the feedback from the customer which happens to be a lengthy process. It would require patience on the part of the organization to collect after sales data for further processing to create a better process chain and innovate the look and feel of products to cater better audience. The HRM process would enable findings of the worker output, taking care of the human resources in the organization and training them for newer business objectives and process innovation. There are several small processes such as logistics and despatch which would handle the management of the products namely bulbs and fluorescents. It would function for warehousing, inventory management and delivery of the products to the customer. c. Output: There are quite a number of forms of output which helps the organization to take care of customer needs and render greater satisfaction of service. One is the finished goods which serve the customers either entirely or through the means of wholesalers and retailers. The feedback of the customers forms a greater source of output for after sales service and to make their product better. Another form of output is the worker productivity and resource utilization so that the turnover can be assessed after eliminating the wastage of resources. d. Feedback The source of feedback is from various sources. One is from the employees who work in the organization. They are best to identify the positive and negative factors to be capitalize so as to encompass the demerits and the irregularities. They stand best for providing the feedback as they work at the ground level and are able to understand the micro level problems which must be taken care at the earliest. The other form of feedback is from the customer for after sales feedback and for product innovation. e. Boundary It defines the scope of the organization to the level of service. The scope is in the production of bulbs and fluorescents only. The company has not diversified into other forms of business and concentrates into only few products. To have a greater share of the market into related products it must diversify the product base so as to cover against losses. f. Interaction with the environment The environment constitutes of the suppliers and the customers. The suppliers are the ones who supply for raw materials and must be taken care by the organization in allowing them special privileges and offers. They must be acknowledged for their service and could in some circumstances be allowed to share profits of the organization. They must be given a representation in the management of the company. 2. Analysis of Information flow throughout the departments: The major decision making is done and propagated by the managing director to the marketing, human resources and electrical engineering and design departments. Once they have a clear and planned mind set of the aims they are able to work on the targets required to be met. The communication is downward in case for higher management and lateral for the middle and lower management.

The Postal Service Monopoly :: Economy

The Postal Service Monopoly In the United States economy most markets can be classified into four different markets structures. But, each and every market in the United States is completely unique from the others. Generally the best type of market structure for the general public is per- fect competition because it creates the lowest possible price for the public. There are some exceptions were perfect competition isn’t the best choice for the public on account of various reasons. The United States Postal Service is one of them and since the Postal Service is a monopoly, it is its own market. This paper will discuss the budget dilemmas that the postal service has faced for the past twenty years and if it is in the best interest of the economy for the United States Postal Service to continue as a monopoly. The first time there was talk of privatizing the Postal Service was in 1979 when the Postal Service was losing vast amounts of money in the long run. But since the Postal Service is a necessity for America, the government had to subsidize the service in order for it to continue in operation. In 1979 the United States Postal Service had a cash flow of $22.5 Billion and was additionally receiving $176 million from investing(#1, Intro). Even with this added revenue the Postal Service was still greatly under funded on its own (#1, Intro). During this time it was discussed to privatize the postal service and introduce competition because of the extreme losses that the service was experiencing. A positive argument for privatizing the Postal Service was with numerous competitors in the market there would be more efficiency and the public would receive lower prices. But this would also increase the usage of resources, for example airplanes and cars. One of the problems the Post Office had was its receipts from consumer purchases that were submitted the next day after the transaction (#1, i). If the receipts were submitted earlier the postal service would receive more money because they could invest that money sooner (#1, i). Another way the Postal Service could increased

First Impression of Iago Essay

My first impression of Iago is that he’s a manipulative and hypocritical man who tries to make up for the lack of success and happiness in his life by destroying that of others. In Iago’s first appearance in the play, he’s seen manipulating the wealthy but foolish Roderigo into giving him money. He claims to be taking this money to buy extravagant gifts to woo Desdemona on Roderigo’s behalf, but he keeps the money for himself. â€Å"Iago, who hast had [Roderigo’s] purse/ As if the strings were [his]† is clearly taking advantage of the jealous suitor of Desdemona (I. i. -3). As Roderigo is threatening to drown himself, Iago says to him, â€Å"If the/ balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise/ another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our/ natures would conduct us to most prepost’rous/ conclusions† (I. iii. 325-329). This is hypocritical of Iago because he is scolding Roderigo for letting emotions and desires take over his life, but Iago lets rage, jealous, and his thirst for revenge take over his life. As a result of the lack of happiness and success in his own life, Iago feels the need to destroy that of others. When Cassio is promoted to lieutenant, Iago conspires to have him fired by suggesting that he’s having an affair with Desdemona. When Othello marries Desdemona, Iago tries to turn Brabantio against his new son-in-law. Iago is unhappy with his life – he doesn’t have the job he wants, and his marriage isn’t a happy one – so he tries to compensate by making the lives of others miserable as well. Iago appears to be a typical villain whose plots are made in an attempt to get revenge on the protagonists. His manipulative and hypocritical ways help conceal his wicked thoughts from the foolish Roderigo and over-trusting Othello.

The Catcher in the Rye Final Assessment - 2098 Words

The Catcher in the Rye Final Assessment: Psychological Profile Name: Holden Caulfield Date of Birth: 01-03-1947 Age: 17 years old Testing Dates: 2-18-1960, 2-25-1960, 3-1-1960, 3-9-1960, 3-16-00, 3-22-1960 Reason for Referral: Holden Caulfield has recently been showing various signs of depression. A girl named Phoebe Caulfield, Holden’s sister, showed concern about her brother. One night she said to him, â€Å"You don’t like anything that’s happening† (Salinger, 169), and when he responded, â€Å"Yes I do. Sure I do† (Salinger, 169), she challenged him. She told him, â€Å"Name one thing† (Salinger, 169), and was concerned when he answered, after a long pause, â€Å"I like Allie† (Salinger, 169). Allie is Holden’s late brother, and Phoebe was worried to hear that the only thing her brother likes about this world is something that isn’t even there anymore. That same night, Phoebe witnessed something else that concerned her. When asked about this incident, Holden reports, â€Å"All of a sudden, I started to cry. I couldn’t help it. I scared hell out of old Phoebe when I started doing it, and she came over and tried to make me stop, but once you get started, you can’t just stop on a gaddam dime† (Salinger, 179). This event worried Phoebe, because she couldn’t understand why Holden started crying for no reason. The only reason she could think of was that he was just extremely sad, and so she decided he needed help. Another person named Mr. Antolini also showed concern for his former student,Show MoreRelatedThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D Sallinger, Questions and Answers1611 Words   |  6 Pagesalso in different parts of their unit plan. â€Å"Mr.’M’s† class was just beginning their unit plan on the novel The Catcher in the Rye while â€Å"Mrs. L’s† class was finishing up their unit plan on the novel The Scarlett Letter. Both classrooms had different, specific learning goals, activities, and assessments. â€Å"Mr. M’s† lesson was meant to introduce students to the novel The Catcher in the Rye and get them to start working on their culminating journal project. One learning goal for the lesson can be foundRead MoreErnest Hemingway, a Legacy for American Literature1550 Words   |  7 Pagesthe best stories ever written. Hemingways style portrayed the truth of the situation. He influenced writers such as Jack Kerouac, The Subterraneans (1958) (American Authors), and other Beat Generation writers. J.D. Salinger, writer of The Catcher in the Rye (1951), is said to have wanted to be a great American short story writer in the same stratum as Hemingway. (Qtd Lynn 416) Hemingways abrupt prose style is known to have inspired Bret Easton Ellis, Less than Zero (1985), Chuck Palahniuk,Read MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )1783 Words   |  8 Pagesaround 7.7 million Americans. Out of all those cases, 37% are considered severe and should be monitored as closely as possib le. PTSD can occur at any age, but it is most common in women in their early 20’s. The main character in the novel the Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, goes through a very traumatic event that changes his life. Throughout the whole novel, Holden goes through a serious depression and does not think straight most of the time. He is suffering from a severe form of PTSD, whichRead MoreEssay on Methods for Critical Thinking1970 Words   |  8 Pagesanother concept whose value is diminished by terminological disarray† (2010, p.2). One might wonder why a simple definition would create such a barrier but Lloyd and Bahr share that â€Å"clear and shared understanding was essential for a fair and valid assessment of student’s critical thinking† (2010, p.2). This makes sense in that, how can a teacher grade or evaluate a student’s performance when there is no clear definition of what is expected from that performance? Another barrier to teaching critical