Grading System : A Great Disappointment

One example demonstrating that grades lead to limited learning of material, can be illustrated by a study that was conducted of students, some of whom were graded. One group of students was told about being graded and the other group was not. The group who was “told they’d be graded on how well they learned a social studies lesson had more trouble understanding the main point of the text than did students who were told that no grades would be involved” (Kohn). This experiment shows how students concerned getting a good grade detracts from the students overall understanding. In my experience, students have so much homework, activities, and pressure to excel that it becomes challenging to learn topics outside of those being assigned. For example, in order to complete history worksheets, students do not always read the passages to find the answers, but rather skim the passage for keywords

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:

High school grades are a better way of looking at a student’s work progress than through only an standardized test(s). High school grades give a better idea of how the student will look in their future education and career. Standardized testing can shock and freak some students out and make them worry and not do so well, where as high school grades can be looked at through an extent of time on the student. Also the test scores have been categorized by the students work ability, and there are many other problems with the tests for example with the questions and how the results come out. “High school grades reflect years of effort and are a more reliable assessment

Michael Thomsen argues against the A-F grading system in his essay “The Case Against Grades.” Thomsen even goes as far to say that the A-F grading system is to blame for the difficulty in reforming American education (1). He supports his conclusion with a few thought-provoking studies and statistics, but overall there are holes in his argument and he does not offer a realistic alternative. Thus, I disagree with Thomsen’s conclusion as I think that the A-F grading system is currently the best method for the United States to use.

Have you ever spent countless hours studying for a test, then when the test hits your desk you forget everything? Are you nervous about dropping your grade terribly when failing the test? This is a thought running through the minds of students mostly every test day? Students ask often why they need a test to prove their academic success. In his essay “A Young Person’s Guide to the grading system,” Professor Jerry Farber argues that students are grade junkies and crave getting good grades. Farber is correct that the grading system is not efficient, but I do not think that his solution would be effective for all students attending school.

Letter grades have been used for centuries. However, should we keep using them? Many people in our world today believe they are a nuiscance, while others argue that the system’s long life only proves it’s competence. Although many may argue against it, letter grades are a thing of the past and should be discarded in order to clear a path for the future.

The grading system actually affects how students do in school. The current grading system can confuse students and parents. Most students get stressed out with the current grading system. I agree with Mr. Delaney that the grading system needs to be changed to a pass or fail system.

Grades belong to grade systems, a way to mark an assessment of a student's work. Colleges use mainly two types of grade systems, a grade scale or a pass/fail scale. A grade scale uses A through F to show how the student did; A being 100 to 90, B is 89 to 80, C is 79 to 75, D is 74 to 70, and F is 69 to 0. A pass/fail scale, on the other hand, merely uses pass or fail, pass being 60 and above and fail being below 60. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages, but for a number of reasons, colleges in America should use the pass/fail scale.

At first glance, one might not really see a problem with the current traditional grading system. This system has been around for hundreds of years and is used in almost every school in the United States. But times are changing and old-fashioned traditional grading could be a thing of the past.

A lot of things need to be changed in the world of education, but the grading system is definitely not one of them. Some schools are tossing around the idea of changing the grading system from the standard A – F scale to a pass or fail scale. This is not a good idea because of several reasons. First of all, this would completely abolish the idea of a GPA which would, in turn, make it impossible for schools to pick a valedictorian or for students to have a rank in their class. Students love to know where they are ranked in their class. Another significant reason as to why we need to keep the grading scale the same is scholarship selection. How would colleges possibly select a student for their scholarships if there are no GPA’s or class rankings?

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.

In sports, analysts examine a players skills and abilities through the use of personal records and game statistics. Similarly, grades reflect a student's strength and weakness in the classroom. In Paul Goodman’s excerpt entitled “A Proposal to Abolish Grading,” he argues that Ivy League Universities should abolish grades. His reasons are that students focus on passing a test more than they do on expanding their education. Eliminating grading standards will allow students to learn new material without being stressed. Goodman's main focus is on prestigious schools, but it is an issue that concerns every school. For it begs the question if grades are necessary to measure a student's inclination to learn. Goodman believes that today’s students

In education, grading is defined as the process of applying standardized measurements of varying levels of achievement in a course. Letter grades have been firmly in place since at least 1913 and they are the most common type of grading system that is in use today. Teachers need to continue using letter grades as opposed to alternative grading methods; consequently, if letter grades were abolished students wouldn't be evaluated fairly and it may result in a lack of effort by the students.

If they are not graded on that, then will not be able to see how those aspects of their education are necessary in the “real world”. This can also negatively affect their grades. Students that are good at regular assignments, but not good when it comes to tests, it could be a serious issue for them, as it will be harder to get their grades back up. Several teachers told parents that they wouldn’t award the highest number on the scale, or that extra work must be completed to earn 4s, leaving children confused on how to reach the advanced level of proficiency (See “Parents give standards-based grading scale F” ¶ ). Since students aren’t being graded on their classroom participation or homework completion, their grades can take a major downfall if they do make a big mistake, such as bomb a test, and they might not be able to make up for it by earning bonus points from extra credit either. If they do, then it would be a lot more work than it should be. Students who are “standards-based” graded will see their overall grade drop due to the system’s inability to evaluate all aspects of their education, as well as not being able to fully understand its methods.

Grades can be assigned in letters (for example, A, B, C, D, or F), as a range (for example 4.0–1.0), as a number out of a possible total (for example out of 20 or 100), as descriptors (excellent, great, satisfactory, needs improvement), in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary institutions in some countries, as a Grade Point Average (GPA). GPA is calculated by taking the number of grade points a student earned in a given period of time divided by the total number of credits taken.[1] The GPA can be used by potential employers or further post-secondary institutions to assess and compare applicants. A