Volume XVII, Issue II Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Circulation 200 Page 1 Featured in this Issue: SC Changes, Halloween Tips from your favorite columnists as well as an exciting album review , A FUN Crossword SPEAKS Grade Inflation Dear Readers, it's that time of the year again where the pumpkins start glowing, werewolves start Did you know that humans Perhaps you have heard teachers speak howling, and vampires come hunting. have actually gotten smarter in the of a mysterious phenomenon that has While some of us are preoccupied last century at an unprecedented been unsettling the academic structure worrying about tests, quizzes, and the rate? It’s true, Americans and for the last decades. No school, SAT, others are concerned with what Britons in particular have institution or university has been to dress up as or whether or not they experienced a surge of spared from the devastating effects of even want to dress up. Just keep in intellectualism throughout the last this beast. In fact, only recently has it mind, other than the German few decades. I’m not just referring been sighted. The seemingly untamable "Fasching", there is only ONE day to technological improvements. creature I speak of goes by the name of where we get to dress up as whoever Sure, scientific knowledge has ‘grade inflation’. It has left many and whatever we want. For once we made some astounding advances, teachers, and even professors baffled, have the excuse to be something but this doesn’t necessarily mean and hopelessly searching for a remedy. other than ourselves without suffering that we have gotten smarter as a So let us dive into the belly of the beast. from the consequences. By putting on species per-say. Nevertheless, What is grade inflation? Often it a mask, painting our faces, or statistics prove that the human is defined as the tendency to receive disguising our true identities under the race as a whole has simply become higher academic grades for a certain clothes of another we can BE more intelligent. It is not difficult to work that would have received a lower something different. As little kids infer this conclusion either. Simply mark in the past. So when did all this some of us dressed up as Batman or look at the GPA scores of start? Truth be told, it is impossible to Superman, Princesses or Fairies Universities such as Harvard over pinpoint the birthplace of this the past 100 years. In 1890, occurrence. Rather, new findings because we wanted to save the world Harvard students had an average suggest that ‘grade inflation’ is likely or be beautiful and royal. Why can't GPA of 2.27, by 1950 students’ inherent in our education structure. In we do that now? You want to be scores had significantly improved to other words, it is conceivable that grade someone crazy/incredible/different a GPA of 2.55, and in 2004 students inflation has been in our society for as but can't seem to find the guts to do scored a whopping 3.48 average long as modern education systems have it? Stop studying and worrying for ONE GPA. Surely this proves that the existed. To explain this phenomenon day and just put on the costume. Hide humans have morphed into a we must then focus on the causes not under the mask. It may not follow the smarter species. Or does it? the source of this event. scary Halloween theme, but that shouldn't stop you! Cheers, The Editors continued on page 2 Volume XVII, Issue II Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Circulation 200 Page 2 continued from page 1 Grade inflation is really a simple psychological and social process. Imagine a utopian society in grading scale. So, if “Grade Inflation” is so natural which all schools had a uniform system of what’s so bad about it? In the end, don’t both assigning grades based solely and flawlessly on a students and teachers profit from it? student’s merit. Under this structure, a school’s The reality is that although in the short academic ability would be readily determined run students seem to profit from Grade Inflation, from their student’s achievement and families in the long run this phenomenon can have [Type sidebar could easily distinguish which school provides the devastating effect on their further development. best academic experience for their children. Because Grade Inflation is by definition not title] However, what if, one day, a school decided to uniform in all schools, losers and winners are boost their students’ scores by even a slight bound to exist in this system. Universities often [Type the sidebar content. A amount? Perhaps at first the school’s have difficultly in determining which schools have administrators would be disdained, however a more rigorous grading scale than others, and sidebar is a standalone supplement soon other schools would follow suit, not wishing endeavor to counter balance their hesitation by to be portrayed as inferior. After a certain viewing candidates in a ‘holistic’ manner. to the main document. It is often amount of the time, any school or teacher who Nevertheless, the polls have shown that most would continue to ‘hold out’ against the changing universities do not take the disparity in grading aligned on the left or right of the tide would place its students at a disadvantage. scales as critically into account as we may hope. However, ‘Grade Inflation’ does not originate That may be one of the reasons why top page, or located at the top or from a singular school’s decision to boost its universities such as Harvard have continued to students’ grades. Instead, Grade inflation is a push their entry requirements to outrageous bottom. Use the Drawing Tools tab direct cause of the structure of the education standards. system. When deciding on giving a teacher Don’t let the statistics fool you. The to change the formatting of the tenure or promotion, evaluation committees human race has not evolved, nor have we often rely on course evaluations and exam morphed into some type of super intellectual sidebar text box.] scores. This dynamic often leads educators to feel being. Instead, society has come to fetishize pressure to increase their students’ grades by intellectual elitism, and that puts a great strain on either ‘teaching to the test’ or simply easing their all of us. -Richard Diehl STAFF Founding Fathers: Journalists: Annabelle Proepstl Mikolaj Bekasiak Max Sherwood Avelina de Ment Seth Hepner Matilde Borio Richard Diehl Adam Nagorski Clara Frick Chaeky Song Simona Koch Editors: Lafayette Vunderkin-Jus Join our Staff: Tuesday, 20 min. Julia Chrampanis Student Council Julia Keller Structure Reform B122 Lenny Leass Giorgia Schumacher e-mail:[email protected] Elsa Kienberger The opinions expressed here in no Layout Editor: Jule Garaycochea way refelect those of the John F. Polina Andreeva Lisa Thiergart Kennedy School Antonia Nihsen Logo Design: Alina Albrecht Pablo Smith Journalists: Max Sherwood Matilde Borio Volume XVII, Issue II Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Circulation 200 Page 3 JFKS LIFE Student Council Structure Reform JFKS’ Student Council presidents have each of these events did not perform up to struggled to keep the SC alive while leaving standard. Too many committee heads flaked as students consistently disappointed. Candidates’ soon as the serious work and dedication surfaced, campaign promises and exciting new ideas have leaving all the work to Presidents Reyk and Jacob, been pushed to the side by school events that who would rather have been working on new somehow require all the presidents’ energy. projects and not doing committee work. Running events isn’t the responsibility of Working quickly to prevent the same problem this the presidents, however. We did not vote Elias year, our current SC Presidents Elias and Michael Lugani and Michael Alber into office because we are doing things differently. Committee heads will thought they had the best spirit week ideas or no longer be peer-elected, and the committee could host a great Valentine’s Day dance. These members will not be randomly assigned. At this responsibilities have always gone to the SC year’s first SC meeting, the presidents collected committees, in which the committee “heads” the names of class representatives wishing to lead the members to fulfill the committee’s role – become committee heads. After meeting with organizing dances, running seminar day, etc. The these applicants, the presidents will personally heads of each committee used to be nominated choose the best head for each committee. Those and voted-in by the class representatives during heads then choose the committee members they the first meeting, and all class representatives will work with. (Students wishing to dedicate were randomly assigned to various committees. themselves to a committee, approach the heads personally.) This sounds simple and fair, right? Sure! But do you think we have had good events over Is this stricter system unfair? Will it work? Watch the past few years? (Think: Seminar this year’s events carefully, and follow the Day,Thanksgiving Food Drive, Spirit Week…) Muckraker for further updates! Obviously, the committees that were assigned to -Max Sherwood (hopeful SC member) Get to know Mr. Salzer Where do you come from? Most recently from Boston, Massachusetts. I was course, I love the neighborhood. It’s a great place in Boston for the last seven years, and before to be. I’m very happy. that I was in Madison, Wisconsin. What is your favorite thing about Berlin? What is your first impression of Berlin? So far, the weather! It's been great! I mean until This is my first time living in Berlin and I now- the month of August has been wonderful! absolutely love it.