The Daily Report Card: Grade Inflation, Online Courses, And The Superbowl

In The Classroom Today-

Grade Inflation Under Scrutiny in Indiana – By George Leef – Phi Beta Cons – National Review Online Several economics professors at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., have stirred up a controversy with a study revealing serious grade-inflation problems at the school. It has led to a bill in the state senate to study the phenomenon, the subject of this newspaper story. Naturally, the Ball State administration is pooh-poohing the matter. The provost says that the school has already created a task force to look into “academic rigor.” But people shouldn’t worry because “At Ball State, we’re committed to providing a high quality and rigorous education.” The last thing you’d expect from this task force is an admission that many courses and feeble and students can pass with very little effort. (The Corner)

Online course mandate clears Senate A bill that would require students in Indiana to take a virtual instruction course before they graduate from high school has cleared the state Senate and is on its way to the House, Senate Republicans announced Wednesday. The vote Wednesday was 38-12. The bill, authored by Republican State Sen. Jim Banks of Columbia City, is aimed at ensuring high school students are proficient in online learning before they enter college or the workforce. (Sustain Lane)

What an experience: Kids go wild in NFL facility » Evansville Courier & Press Reggie Wayne was king of the NFL Experience for a few minutes on Wednesday, only to have his throne usurped by a young prince. Wayne had 1,200 kids cheering as he presented Xbox 360 with Kinect machines to each of the Central Indiana schools represented at NFL PLAY 60 kids’ day at the Indiana Convention Center. But when Leon Thomas III took the stage, Wayne discovered that not even a Colts wide receiver could fire up an adolescent crowd like an 18-year-old Nickelodeon entertainer. (courierpress.com)