I'll present this and then step away from this conversation (which too often
becomes a monologue)--I've said this all before and don't want to enter a
heated debate here.
Who decides the criteria for GAIN? Who produces the instruments to measure
the GAIN? Who then designs methods and courses to directly address those
criteria and instruments? Three guesses--and you only need three letters!
The only GAIN I'm interested in from pre-College courses, is that I start
seeing some students who know some basics (say understand velocity and
acceleration)--so that we don't have to start from scratch. I have not seen
this. I have seen things go the other way. So, forget your FCI normalized
gains and the like--show me students better prepared for College science
courses--not those needing remedial arithematic!