The Feedback Loop: How Bad Rubrics Create Their Own Crisis

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 11:00:00 -0600

Imagine you’re selecting students for an advanced physics class.

You test them on basic arithmetic. The top scorers get into advanced physics.

Some of them struggle. They weren’t ready for physics—they were just good at arithmetic.

Your response: Raise the bar on arithmetic testing.

Require 95th percentile instead of 90th. Add a speed component. Demand perfection on multiplication tables.

More students fail to qualify. Fewer get into advanced physics.

But here’s the problem: You’re still not testing physics readiness.

Systems Thinking on Acceleration Denied