Grades

The American education system has not changed drastically since the 1900s. In the early 1900’s before grading, teachers were expected to communicate in depth to their students on how they were doing in the class. This worked well for small groups and individual tutoring. The ability for this information to be passed on to those who were not involved with the learning process, such as employers and parents was limited. By the mid 20th century schools changed drastically as they introduced grades in the form of letters. The American schools now became more standardized as A, B, C, D and F represented ones grade. Depending what percentage a student received determined letter they got. An example is an A is a mark of 90-100%

Historically, letter grades have served as a tool to rate educational intelligence. By looking at the progression of a student’s grades over time, people are able to determine whether or not the students are developing skills in certain areas. Using a one letter grade to determine progress has received many critiques as a common system used in America’s education. Critics claim letter grades cause students motivation and creativity to decrease because grades shift students focus from learning the material to obtaining a good grade.

Pragmaticism, indeed, will dictate that schools, assessments, and organizations long-established will not be altered for light and short-lived causes. Hence, a gradual shift in culture and method must occur which reforms the quantitative nature of grading systems. However, let the negative effects of the current grading system be known in a direct way:

In “Making the Grade” by Kurt Wiesenfeld and “In Praise of the F Word” by Mary Sherry, both authors establish an issue with the grading system in schools. Somewhere along the line, love for knowledge died and a generation of indolent students were born. They both however, point the finger of blame in different directions. Wiesenfeld claims society has molded the student to believe he/she can simply charm their way to good grades, whereas Sherry holds complete liability in the pampering of high school teachers.

Next, Erickson exposed how the grading system is mocked by using silly practices to help raise grades. He described a specific

First and foremost, letter grades have been used since the 19th century without any complications. “The traditional grading scale is universally recognized. Virtually everyone knows that earning an A is good while earning an F is associated with failure. The traditional grading scale is easy to interpret and understand. The simplistic nature of the system makes it user-friendly for teachers, students, and parents. It also allows for a direct comparison from one student to another within a specific class” (Meador). Ultimately, parents remember and understand the letter grading system. It's easy to be happy that their child earned an

He made the point that we learn most things in life without being graded. Such examples were learning to play chess, socialize, or how to drive. Farber stated that people perform better if they want to learn the subject, rather than if they are threatened with failure or bad grades. Farber brought to light the fact that grading is even worse for students because it makes them dislike the subjects they are graded in, and eventually dislike learning overall. His solution to the problem was to create a credit system, in which students are under less pressure and are no longer threatened with

There have been several historical factors that influenced the changes in education from then and now. The Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 was a major contributor to change due to the fact that by providing a better education for the teachers there would then be a direct correlation in the students being provided an enhanced education. Also, another historical factor was the “Progressive Era”. It provided students with a new way of learning. They were hands on and learning by doing rather than memorizing and repeating facts that they’d forget as soon as they walked out the school doors. Lastly, the No Child Left Behind Act was the most historical factor that influenced change. This act allowed children from the many diverse backgrounds to acquire

If it’s not that, then what are they? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines grades as “a position in a scale of ranks or qualities”. If someone asked me to define grades, I would say, “A grade is something you have to earn and work hard for. They are not something that is just handed to you”. Good grades are something students strive for because they always want to be the best and try to be on top.

Standardized testing has been around since the mid 1800’s. Even though testing has been around for a long time it is still debated whether or not it should precisely “score” students. Students have been subjected to standardized tests frequently through their years in school due to laws which have been passed by Congress. Decisions about the evaluation of schools and students are recurrently made by government authority and are often not in the best interest of teachers, students, or their classroom environments.

The reason behind this, is to save the teacher’s job, or so students continue to take their classes, or because they do not want to be known as a mean teacher. It is possible that grade inflation exists but it is hard to find evidence to support

Standardized tests have been around for hundreds of years. The test originated in the 1800’s. The test was created by Horace Mann. The test was to decide how students were mastering their current level of work and whether they should proceed to the next level. There were no negative consequences associated with the tests or scores. After the publication of the Coleman Report (Coleman et al., 1966), which took an in depth look into the education system and analyzed how the education system affected student achievement, the use of standardized achievement tests for accountability became the trend. It was all about everyone involved in the education of a body of students should be held accountable for the learning and teaching of those students. The teachers and others involved had to answer to the political bodies that were providing funding for the education system. In 2001 the No Child Left Behind Act was passed under the administration of President Bush. The act is based on improving instructional outcomes for students with disabilities. The

The definition of an acceptable grade has changed significantly over the years. Grade inflation seemed to begin in earnest in the late 1960s after the

Teachers have always used grades to measure the amount a student has learned. This practice is becoming ineffective. Many students have a wide range of grades, which show that grades may not show what a student really knows. Therefore, the standard grading system should be replaced. Some reasons why grades should be replaced are bad grades can hinder a child’s performance, grades define who a student is in the classroom, and grades are not an effective way to see if students have learned the material. The current grading system should be upgraded and every school should incorporate the plus/minus system in their method of grading.

Finally, achieving a high grade in college is more difficult than in high school. In high school, grades are easier to achieve and there are greater opportunities for marks. Usually, a student is graded on many different areas, including; attendance, participation, effort, and organization. Also, students are graded on evaluations and assignments. These are the areas which are graded, and these account for a large portion of the final