Official Review: The New Epidemic-Grading Practices

[Mely918]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The New Epidemic-Grading Practices" by Andre Mathews.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The book The “New” Epidemic – Grading Practices by Andre Mathews provides an in-depth analysis of the grading systems in American public schools. The biggest focus of this book is the flaws in these grading policies and the imbalance that it creates among students. It is clear from the start that Mathews is highly opinionated about the current grading practices in the USA. He spends the entire book arguing for a fairer policy. This book provides detailed descriptions of the various systems used to rank students.

Mathews is advocating for an integrated system so that all students will have equal chances of success in their academic and work life. He divides the book into four sections, each detailing different aspects of the current grading system. Throughout the book, Mathews gives strong arguments about why the present strategies are mathematically biased. He uses terms and definitions to get his points across. Additionally, there are charts and diagrams to give visual representations on the erroneous grading policies.

I liked how strongly Mathews felt about the current system within American schools. He is very knowledgeable about the many ways that schools grade and rank their students. This allowed him to make very strong arguments against those methods. I also really liked the visuals that he presented throughout the book. They were very helpful in giving the reader a more solid idea of the issues. Furthermore, I thought it was great that he included definitions for words that others working outside of public schools may not know. Not only did that strengthen his arguments, but it also denoted patience for the average reader. He was willing to share his knowledge with the wider public. His dedication for this book made that very evident.

I hardly found any errors in this book. It was very well-edited for the most part. I only saw a couple of typos towards the end, but they didn’t take away from the overall content of the book. I did notice a couple of run-on sentences. Shorter sentences are better in these instances because they would not catch the reader off-guard. Most of the mistakes I found were in the last pages of the book. Although it wasn't a lot, it made the ending seem more careless in comparison to the beginning and middle.

All in all, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The errors and typos were minimal and easily forgotten. The content within the book makes for a great reading and educational experience. I think it would be a good pick for those that enjoy books about theories as well as academic and psychological terms. I would also recommend it to students and parents so that they can get a better understanding about school grading policies.

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The New Epidemic-Grading Practices
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[AmySmiles]

Great review! Doesn't really interest me as far as the book goes, as I'm not a student or parent, but I could see where this might be helpful for some.

[Jonida]

Nice job on your review. This book maybe helpful for my sister, her son starts the school next year. Thanx

[Britty01]

This excellent review got me curious enough to look at a sample of the book. I am intrigued by the subject matter and I think I would like to get some insight into the way the American school system of grading works.

[Sunnyroyish]

Nice review. Keep up the good work.

[Jackie Holycross]

As a teacher I'm curious what his arguments were. I, too, feel the system is flawed, but I see us more trying to make everyone the same rather than ranking students.

[kandscreeley]

Most of us have gone to school at some point in our lives, so we're at least aware of the grading system. You do have me curious as to what he has to say, and with so many charts and things to help understand, it seems pretty down to earth. Thanks for the review.

[daydreaming reader]

I think the topic this book addresses is extremely interesting, but personally I may require a different medium for it. I am not to familiar with the US system, but where I am from, all levels of the education system need to be revisited. Even beyond that, there is the issue of effectively measuring work performance, and I think that at some point these two need to intersect. Regardless, thank you for the excellent review!

[crediblereading2]

Thank you for an insightful review. I agree with Matthew that the grading systems in educational institutions are sometimes not fair and should be solved by the government of the day.

[LaurenHaupt]

Great review. I haven't thought abut the grading system. I am curious what his arguments are.

[julessawyer]

This look like a very informative book. I am not familiar with the grading system in America so I might read this so to get a better understanding of the American educational system. Thank you for your review!

[Lil Reads]

Thank you for the review.

I'm going to add this to my TBR list.

Do you remember any specific charts or diagrams from the book that were particularly useful?

[Mely918]

Thank you for the review.

I'm going to add this to my TBR list.

Do you remember any specific charts or diagrams from the book that were particularly useful?

There were some that broke down the various grading and ranking methods in US public schools.

[Lil Reads]

Thank you for the review.

I'm going to add this to my TBR list.

Do you remember any specific charts or diagrams from the book that were particularly useful?

There were some that broke down the various grading and ranking methods in US public schools.

I remember not understanding why I was struggling in some classes so maybe looking at some of those charts might explain it.

I know the book focuses on public school grading, but does he mention anything about their private and charter school equivalents?

[Mely918]

Thank you for the review.

I'm going to add this to my TBR list.

Do you remember any specific charts or diagrams from the book that were particularly useful?

There were some that broke down the various grading and ranking methods in US public schools.

I remember not understanding why I was struggling in some classes so maybe looking at some of those charts might explain it.

I know the book focuses on public school grading, but does he mention anything about their private and charter school equivalents?

No, not really actually. His main focus is on the public school grading systems.