Gunz

[littlelolligagged]

Icky.

I still think it's a bad sign, though.

[Loki]

Maybe it's because I'm at a pretty good university, but there's only one person who writes as bad as that in my freshman classes, and that person has never lived in an English-speaking country until this year.

[littlelolligagged]

I really would have thought the standards to get into an AP English class would be higher; or, failing that, at least by this point in the year someone in a composition class would be able to whip out a higher quality essay.

[']['ear]

6 of 9 was generous. Maybe that's what you get for handing it in?

[Young Mage]

I said this wasn't my entire essay didn't i? Those are just the paragraphs I liked and several of them actually mentioned the area I lived in so I took them out. And i think you guys fail to understand that I typed up the essay I wrote in class. It was an in class timed essay. I'm sorry if I don't muster up something amazing on my first try?

But that's what I wrote word-for-word and you guys shouldn't judge to readily. I find it amazing how none of you know a 6/9 is a "very good score" on an AP Lang and Comp essay. Clearly, you guys need to look around the net and see how my peers write.

And I'm not making mistakes, but i'm sorry I don't write as well as all of you. I'm not proficient enough in English to do so nor am I willing to spend days learning everything.

[Young Mage]

And Tear, i thought uz gonna ignore me mawn. Wut happened?

[NGS]

...you didn't get a B+ though. 6 out of 9 is a 66.6 repeating, so a D - or basically a borderline F. Why do you think he asked to see you after class? In addition with assignments like that if you're being asked to respond to a written opinion, you either have to defend it, or highlight how its flawed, not formulate your own opinion and then defend that.

In AP scoring a 6 is generally considered above-average, not F quality. In reality getting a 2 is only about the equivalent of a D. It's a very different scoring system than you're obviously used to. In addition, he was most likely practicing for his AP Exam, which usually includes an open-ended question for students to answer and defend as one of the three essays.

Furthermore, while AP Language and Comp. is meant to improve mechanical skills and diction, a major part is composing and defending arguments through a variety of rhetorical/literary strategies. If you've ever taken an AP English test (which I can see you haven't) you'd know that understanding concepts of language, syntax, and emotional appeals is the main focus of most of the questions.

I don't mean to be so harsh, but your assumptions have failed you here, Illusions. I'm getting a bit anal about this shit lately, my bad man.

That aside, it's a pretty shitty essay, with irrational and immature arguments, and there's very little chance Young Mage will be getting above a 3 when he takes his exam in 3 weeks.

But that's what I wrote word-for-word and you guys shouldn't judge to readily. I find it amazing how none of you know a 6/9 is a "very good score" on an AP Lang and Comp essay. Clearly, you guys need to look around the net and see how my peers write.

Sigh...look no further?

[Illusions]

In AP scoring a 6 is generally considered above-average, not F quality. In reality getting a 2 is only about the equivalent of a D. It's a very different scoring system than you're obviously used to. In addition, he was most likely practicing for his AP Exam, which usually includes an open-ended question for students to answer and defend as one of the three essays.

You're going to have to explain the new system to me then, as our practice exams were out of 5 points, as it appears the AP exams are still based on. I've also done those practice essays...and you only have to do one essay now? We had to do 2 out of 3.

I mistook this for being a regular points based test, where his score would be a 66.6, not an AP practice exam.

Furthermore, while AP Language and Comp. is meant to improve mechanical skills and diction, a major part is composing and defending arguments through a variety of rhetorical/literary strategies. If you've ever taken an AP English test (which I can see you haven't) you'd know that understanding concepts of language, syntax, and emotional appeals is the main focus of most of the questions.

I actually have taken an AP English test. Around 8 years ago. Literature and Composition. Apparently things have changed since then. It does not appear they have done so for the better.

I don't mean to be so harsh, but your assumptions have failed you here, Illusions. I'm getting a bit anal about this shit lately, my bad man.

Well I guess now I'm going to appear like a bitter old man since back when I took the AP's every essay regardless of subject stressed being able to back up your opinion with evidence from either the material provided or from knowledge gleaned from the classes, not appeals to emotion. This was in addition to testing knowledge of the subject the AP was in (ie. English, American History, European History, etc.)

And he keeps bragging too. To people who've probably scored better than him on the exams he's taking.

It also appears, according to wikipedia, that I've taken two of the no longer offered AP exams...

[Loki]

I got a 3 on the AP English exam (along with 5 As in English/literature classes in college). I'm cleaning up people's garbage now.

[GGT]

I got a 3 on the AP English exam (along with 5 As in English/literature classes in college). I'm cleaning up people's garbage now.

My district doesn't even have AP classes. "We" use the CP / CPA system, without dual credits. It also doesn't count for testing out of college Intro classes. "We" end up having to enroll kids in local college courses during HS, but they don't get HS credit. yay

[Illusions]

I got a 3 on the AP English exam (along with 5 As in English/literature classes in college). I'm cleaning up people's garbage now.

Ha! I got a 4 and I'm unemployed. I bet someone got a 5 but they're so homeless and destitute they can't tell us...

[Loki]

My district doesn't even have AP classes. "We" use the CP / CPA system, without dual credits. It also doesn't count for testing out of college Intro classes. "We" end up having to enroll kids in local college courses during HS, but they don't get HS credit. yay

I think having the kids go to a community college and get credits that way is better than pretending that AP classes come anywhere close to resembling the atmosphere of the university classroom or have anywhere near the same requirements. Instead of focusing on getting people to think, the AP examiners just try to make their tests as difficult as possible. Getting the A (i.e. 5) in an AP class doesn't mean you learned more or used your brain effectively; it just means you were able to memorize a sufficient amount of information and put it down on a piece of paper in a format the examiners prefer. In college, no one (outside the hard sciences I suppose) cares if you're able to memorize a countless amount of useless pieces of information. The purpose of a college class is to teach people who to connect different pieces of information and teach students how to think about that information. I've yet to see an AP class that did the same (I'm not even going to blame the teachers here; the classes themselves are stupid).

Ha! I got a 4 and I'm unemployed. I bet someone got a 5 but they're so homeless and destitute they can't tell us...

Do what any good unemployed person does - go to grad school.

[Illusions]

Do what any good unemployed person does - go to grad school.

Did that already . I could go get another graduate degree but I really don't feel like adding more loans to my debt...that and all the art centered PhD's sound terribly boring...

[Loki]

How about getting a teaching certificate? Most schools need a technology teacher.

[agamemnus]

How the hell did you ever get into an AP class with writing skills like that?

Standards.

They have fallen.

And I'm not making mistakes, but i'm sorry I don't write as well as all of you. I'm not proficient enough in English to do so nor am I willing to spend days learning everything.

I... Are you...? What....? I could be mistaken, but I thought that students in America spent years learning how to speak and write English properly? I guess that's changed recently? Oh my... god! *dies*

I think having the kids go to a community college and get credits that way is better than pretending that AP classes come anywhere close to resembling the atmosphere of the university classroom or have anywhere near the same requirements. Instead of focusing on getting people to think, the AP examiners just try to make their tests as difficult as possible. Getting the A (i.e. 5) in an AP class doesn't mean you learned more or used your brain effectively; it just means you were able to memorize a sufficient amount of information and put it down on a piece of paper in a format the examiners prefer. In college, no one (outside the hard sciences I suppose) cares if you're able to memorize a countless amount of useless pieces of information. The purpose of a college class is to teach people who to connect different pieces of information and teach students how to think about that information. I've yet to see an AP class that did the same (I'm not even going to blame the teachers here; the classes themselves are stupid).

I don't agree. I've been in enough AP classes to know that this really can be the case. Just an enormous amount of nonsense busy work because the teacher thinks that's what an AP class is -- maybe 2 or 3 times more work than a top-tier university course. Of course, as you said, university courses are much more project and "critical-thinking" oriented than high school classes and many have very little "homework" per se.

I've also been in a few wonderful AP classes.

[Cracky]

Just liek with everything, Sturgeons law applies to AP classes. Some, in fact many, are just "MORE STUFF!" but a few are actually "smart".

[Young Mage]

Standards.

I... Are you...? What....? I could be mistaken, but I thought that students in America spent years learning how to speak and write English properly? I guess that's changed recently? Oh my... god! *dies*

I have an A in that class and all that matters is my grade at this point of the year. I can almost see the fawcking end of junior year. And like I said, English isn't my first, second, or third language. Ask me to write a "good" essay in my native language or in french, I'm sure I could muster up a good essay. That being said, i'm a simpleton compared to you, not to my classmates. Yes standards have fallen, an average is now a "b" instead of a "c" because of fair-fucking-grades and "no child [mexican or black trash] left behind".

I'm pretty sure I'll get at least a 4 on the exam, I do decently on the essays, but I perform stellarly on the MC portion.

So can we get back on topic and talk about handgun control throughout America?

[Aimless]

Um. My personal opinion is that you should stop badmouthing your teachers and your fellow students until you achieve excellence.

[Young Mage]

I never bad mouthed my teacher? I like my teacher.

Think subjective.

[LittleFuzzy]

In AP scoring a 6 is generally considered above-average, not F quality. In reality getting a 2 is only about the equivalent of a D. It's a very different scoring system than you're obviously used to. In addition, he was most likely practicing for his AP Exam, which usually includes an open-ended question for students to answer and defend as one of the three essays.

Well if you're talking about AP scoring, there's no 6 out of 9 anyway, since AP scoring is on a five point scale

[Illusions]

Well if you're talking about AP scoring, there's no 6 out of 9 anyway, since AP scoring is on a five point scale

Hence my confusion, and I'm still waiting for an update from NGS as to how the AP or its practice tests have changed...

[Young Mage]

^ Fail. Hard.

"Each June, the free-response sections and Studio Art portfolios are scored by thousands of university faculty and Advanced Placement instructors at a number of Advanced Placement Readings in locations throughout the United States. These free-response sections are scored according to rubrics designed for the specific prompts. Before the readers arrive, a number of people from the Advanced Placement Program's Reading Leadership randomly select a number of free response booklets and match these booklets against the preliminary question rubrics designed by the test development committee when they wrote the question. If, based on the sampling, the students did not perform as well as expected, the scoring rubric is made easier. If, based on the sampling, the students did better than expected, the scoring rubric is made more difficult. In addition, the Reading Leadership attempts to find what they believe epitomizes the best example of a free response that should be scored at each score level (usually the free responses are scored on a scale of 0 to 9) for purposes of training the readers. It usually takes about one week for the readers to score all of the free response sections for one exam."

http://www.susangrosstprs.com/articl...TINGRUBRIC.pdf (third page)

You guys are honestly too old now to argue about what goes on in school since it does affect you anymore. Most of you guys are rather ignorant in that specific topic. Let's see, the papers are grades on a scale from 0-9 (9 being near damn impossible to achieve as a Junior) and we write three essays, after adding up the raw score from the three essays, we add the MC (multiple choice) score, we have a number. That number is then converted to either a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

Don't get your shit mixed up and look like a clown next time.

EDIT: I should probably heed my own advice.

[Illusions]

Don't get your shit mixed up and look like a clown next time.

I'm not sure how our lack of knowledge about the current grading system for AP based essays makes the samples you gave us of your essay any better.

Edit: Perhaps this was part of the problem with your essay, that you assume that if part of the argument is flawed that the argument as a whole must be flawed. For instance, if I present an argument, and to back it up offer data points A, B, and C, and B has an error in it, that does not invalidate A or C, and by extension the argument itself. A,B, and C may not have equal weight in the argument for instance. In this case, stating that your essay is bad because it got a 6. The fact that this piece of data is wrong does not invalidate the other points made; that the essay contained incorrect usages of English, and poorly chosen and defended arguments.

[Young Mage]

I see what you just did there! Good job changing the subject from your ignorance and fail to my essay. Pretty sneaky, too bad I called you out.

[Illusions]

I see what you just did there! Good job changing the subject from your ignorance and fail to my essay. Pretty sneaky, too bad I called you out.

Further edits were made. You'd be wise to drop the douche act, and perhaps listen to the advice we give you, or you're going to be in for a surprise when you get into college.

[Young Mage]

Further edits were made. You'd be wise to drop the douche act, and perhaps listen to the advice we give you, or you're going to be in for a surprise when you get into college.

Don't attempt to serenade me with whatever you deem morally "righteous", you've irritated me enough in the past with condescending and douchebaggy posts.

Furthermore, I find it rather amusing how Cain can say what I just said and "score points" on here; on the other hand, if I do it, oh noes! I'm an ungrateful-self-centered-spoiled-brat who needs a good ol' belt whippin' for not abiding by draconian rules imposed on him by "mature[rer]" and "smart[er]" peers/adults who might know better. Maybe you and the rest of the members don't give me enough credit.

[littlelolligagged]

Don't attempt to serenade me with whatever you deem morally "righteous", you've irritated me enough in the past with condescending and douchebaggy posts. I find it rather amusing how Cain can such what I just said and "score points". On the other hand, if I do it, oh noes! He's an ungrateful-self-centered-spoiled-brat. Maybe you and the rest of the members don't give me enough credit.

Cain doesn't "score points." He annoys the fuck out of everyone, and knows it.

Your writing was bad. You shared it. You don't appear to be looking for advice on how to write an effective essay, so you aren't going to get that from me. It wasn't just the grammar; I could overlook that to a degree for in-class writing.

Calm down, kid.

[Young Mage]

Naw mawn, i wanted to talk about "gunz" not about this. Someone successfully derailed it and for once it wasn't me. I only shared my writing because someone wanted to know what my stance was. Instead of sparking a discussion concerning said topic, we began criticizing my writing. You guys are all bullies.

[littlelolligagged]

Then instead of "gunz" as a title and "should we ban them or not?" as the entirety of the OP, you should have begun with something a little more expressive. You also should have considered that everyone posting isn't American, and different places even in the United States have different laws about what is and isn't legal regarding weaponry.

You seem to be caught between wanting to be a flaming idiot and wanting to be taken seriously.

It could be worse, though. You could be a flaming idiot who wants to be taken seriously. We have one of those already.

[Illusions]

Don't attempt to serenade me with whatever you deem morally "righteous",

Umm...actually that was supposed to be an idicator that there are very likely people who are smarter, more intelligent, more knowledgeable, and more naturally gifted than yourself who will be in the same year of college with you, and the whole "look how superior/awesome I am" isn't really going to jive well with your peers or professors...

you've irritated me enough in the past with condescending and douchebaggy posts.

Source? I don't remember any interaction with you until you posted that really self-absorbed bragfest in GC.

Furthermore, I find it rather amusing how Cain can say what I just said and "score points" on here; on the other hand, if I do it, oh noes! I'm an ungrateful-self-centered-spoiled-brat who needs a good ol' belt whippin' for not abiding by draconian rules imposed on him by "mature[rer]" and "smart[er]" peers/adults who might know better. Maybe you and the rest of the members don't give me enough credit.

Cain doesn't score points. Cain is an asshole. I don't think he'll argue any differently about being so. Its who he is. So either what you want to say is that you too are an asshole, and this kind of behavior is what we should come to expect from you, or that you're offended by us labeling you as such, because you don't want to be seen that way.