Wad-Ja-Get? the Grading Game in American Education [Paperback]

Howard Kirschenbaum (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 315 pages
• Publisher: Hart Pub Co (January 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805501134
• ISBN-13: 978-0805501131
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,545,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth About Grading in Schools, August 29, 2004

By 

Ronald K. Pendleton (Riverside, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wad-Ja-Get? the Grading Game in American Education (Paperback)

This is a must read for anyone involved with formal education. I was fortunate enough to have it on my reading list when I was studying for my Ph.D. many years ago and it is every bit as poignant now as it was then. "Grading," as it is still understood and practised by many teachers, can be highly detrimental to real learning and cause a whole agglomeration of problems, yet the process of grading is firmly entrenched in academic culture. "Wad-Ja-Get?" helps to put things to do with "grading" into perspective.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book!, March 8, 2009

By 

Runa "HPLunatic" (Charlottesville, VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Wad-ja-get? The Grading Game in American Education (Hardcover)

A book about America's grading system--it just doesn't sound like anything that would keep your attention for a long time, right? You'll be proven pleasantly wrong after reading this amazing book. I found myself agreeing with most everything that was said, and let it be mentioned that while the book was published in 1971, the arguments are still completely applicable, and changes still need to be made. While the book is written in a half-corny, half-interesting narration of a class assignment that spins out of control, it really puts the issues in perspective, sometimes in a horrifying light (english paper grades vs. math/science paper grades). I think one of the other statements made in this book that really stuck out was the idea that childhood naturally stifles curiousity--and grades only add to this. It's true, it really is, "grades represent the measure of a person's value" and we as a society do nothing to break this horrible perspective. I really only wish this debate on grades was re-sparked, it's an on-going battle, and very little is being done to solve it.

Rating: 5/5