[virtuous_signal]

When I was teaching college math classes, there were people who tried to argue for more partial credit after exams. Not to get into specifics but most of the requests came from the same demographic. If I as an instructor hadn't watched out for this and set a universal, and uniformly applied policy (and if I had an agreeable enough personality), then I would have consistently made the scores of this group higher. Would you say this is fair? Should math grades reflect whether someone has that "it doesn't hurt to ask"-attitude?

[donatj]

Fortune favors the bold.

[baddox]

“Fortune” means “luck.” The whole point of advocating against arbitrary causes for salary differences is that one’s livelihood shouldn’t depend on luck.

[HarryHirsch]

Therein lies the problem. Math is made by mathematicians, not by Karens whose mothers attend parties thrown by Ghislaine Maxwell. Sometimes you think that's what's behind the secular stagnation.

[donatj]

In this specific example, I very much see the point of a Math class for those not actively pursuing a heavily mathematics-embedded career is just the exposure to ideas. Being a stickler for total competency does nothing to encourage exposure; I'd almost argue there's room to grade the two groups on separate scales.

Do I remember the formulas or operations from my higher levels math classes? Largely no. Do I think they were a worthwhile endeavor? Absolutely, I was profoundly affected.

The long-term value of classes for those who largely won't use the skill in the future is the mind opening exposure, not the competency we test for.

[stoops]

It's your class. You can decide what a grade is worth.

I had many teachers who would give better grades to better people.

Who do you think is "better" or more deserving?

[imtringued]

You're just stating the obvious. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.