Stop Grading Attendance

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Attendance should not be a part of a student’s grade. I mean, your grade should answer one question, right?

How well do you know the material? That’s it so if a student skips every lecture, teaches themselves from the textbook, and then aces the exam, they know the material, so give them an A.

And if another student has perfect attendance, takes beautiful notes, and still can’t solve the problems, then they don’t know the material. So they shouldn’t get a grade that suggests that they do.

So stop grading proxies for learning and don’t pretend that sitting in a chair is evidence of mastery.

Further reading: The Bar is Being Lowered .

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