Dumb Down Days

Ever heard of “equity grading?” This is something the San Francisco school system tried to implement before it was pulled back because of fierce public backlash. This is not unique to San Francisco, however. There have been numerous school systems around the country that have gone this route.

San Francisco’s version had some interesting features. (Read more about this at https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/students-left-behind-san-francisco-tried-bury-radical-school-policy-backfired)

• Homework and most tests, outside of the final exam, would not count toward a student's final grade.
• The grading scale would be adjusted so that a student with a score as low as 80 would receive an A, and students would receive a passing C grade with a score as low as 41 on a 100-point exam.
• Students would be allowed to take the final exam multiple times to bring up their grade.
• Students would be allowed to turn in assignments late and not be marked down.

The main problem with this system is that it causes student’s grades to be higher, but does not in any respect increase learning. In fact, just the opposite. The process of making it easier to get high grades actually disincentivizes students from putting forth their best effort to learn the material.

But that’s not all that was going on in San Francisco. As bad as the equity grading element of this plan was, its rollout by school officials was designed to fly under the radar in an attempt to avoid scrutiny and debate by the community. Fortunately, this plan was discovered early by the public and “postponed.” Had it been implemented, the San Francisco equity grading system would have been not only an academic disaster, but also an insult to the democratic process itself. 

As a teacher myself, I can see exactly how this plays out. Over the last 10 years, I have had the opportunity to teach a world religions class at a Christian university in Florida as an adjunct professor. While my teaching opportunity has been at the university level rather than in a grade school, there is literally no difference in the way this approach affects students. The more lenient you make the grading process, the less effort students will put out. Sometimes it is a real challenge to get the right balance, but the principle is solid. And as I think back over my own experience as a student, I can confidently say that was my thinking in that situation, as well. Students simply put out more effort for teachers who demand more.

The question is, “What in the world would possess a school system to implement that kind of process?” And, “Why in the world would they do it in the secretive manner in which they tried to pull it off?” The simple answer to those questions is that those practices represent a set of worldview beliefs that they believe in. Their ultimate goal is not to make students achieve the highest level they can, but to make sure no student’s feelings are hurt by failing them or by causing them to have lower grades than others. The ultimate goal is to make people feel good, not to help them achieve academically – even if, in the long run, it hurts rather than helps them.

Perhaps you are familiar with the fact that there are many churches that have social-justice as their primary focus, rather than sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Most of those churches were, historically, formed with a focus on worshiping the God of the Bible and sharing Christ. Over the years, however, they have adopted a theological position that doesn’t even believe in individual salvation, but rather focuses on the temporal goal of “helping the least of these.” What you need to realize is that this social justice purpose comes from the same place as equity grading. Its ultimate goal is to create utopia on earth without the need of involving God.

Christian beliefs are based on a theistic worldview – the belief that God exists and has revealed Himself and His ways to mankind. Genuine Christians believe the Bible is that revelation. Secular utopian thinking is based on a naturalistic worldview – the belief that the natural universe, operating by natural laws, is all that exists. And even the religious social justice warriors, while giving lip service to God, live and operate “as if” God actually doesn’t exist. These worldview beliefs are at their core, on the religious as well as the secular side, religious beliefs. But the implications go even further than that. They represent, literally, the way people understand the structure of reality. Biblical Christians actually do believe in the God of the Bible, and the social justice warriors actually do believe they can create utopia on earth by manipulating social circumstances using political means.

The Bible teaches that people should always strive for their very best as a way of honoring God. As for the utopians, they believe the world should strive for equity. God’s way builds people up. The utopian way dumbs people down.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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