What Purpose Do Grades Serve?

In the article, “From Degrading to De-Grading”, by Alfie Kohn he discusses the harmful effects grades have on students. Kohn argues that there are better ways to assess students’ progress other than letter or numerical grades. Grades are a great concept but they tend to be more hurtful than helpful. Cheating can become a problem, students won’t take challenges, and they develop unhealthy competition between one another. There have been many studies conducted over the years that support Kohn’s argument.

Granted, grades serve their purpose, and a very good one at that. After all, they serve as a very reliable method of assessing progress. However, I realized one day that I had become a slave to my grade point average; I considered more successful when I received an “A” on a test or quiz, regardless of whether I actually knew the material or simply stored it in my short term memory long enough to reproduce it on the assessment. I believed my efforts were inadequate if I didn’t receive the score I wanted on a test, even if I learned and understood the topic. From this I gained the knowledge that why I should be mindful of my grades and test scores, I should not place them above the actual material or use them as the basis for my success. Rather than striving to achieve perfect test scores and the highest GPA, my focus is to fully learn and understand the subjects presented to

Alfie Kohn discussed multiple fabulous points in his article, “Degrading to De-Grading”. The author suggests more effective ways to assess students’ progress other than numerical or letter grades. Kohn goes into detail about why our current grading system is flawed. Grades can cause students to lose interest in learning which causes them to stop taking challenges. If students are not engaged and interested than they are not retaining the information they are being taught. The grading system can also cause students to develop unhealthy competition with one another for instance, “I got a better grade than you!”. Indeed, grades are a wonderful concept, but they tend to be more hurtful than helpful. In some cases, grades can have positive effects on students. For example, setting goals for various assignments, or receiving help where they are struggling. Though, there are alternatives that could make positive changes in the system.

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

In “A Proposal to Abolish Grading” Paul Goodman suggests grading students is only setting them up for failure. He states, “a student will retain nothing of what he has “passed” in.” Goodman believes that students shouldn’t be tested for a grade, “but for his own advantage” so the student isn 't just “trying to get by” he will actually be encouraged to learn the material. Grades and testing have been around for over a century. Every American has had some kind of schooling in their life. As a student, I’ve always entered a new class with the mindset that I need to pass that class, hardly ever have I thought, “I need to learn as much as I can in this class.” So why should the system that educators believe works and have used for so long change? The American education system values grades and test scores more than students value learning.

Without assessment, there is no opportunity to keep track of benchmarks of improvement and no sense of progress. Assessment provides a time for reflection for the teacher as well as the child. The teacher may need to revisit his or her approach to teaching, based upon student's comprehension and input. Also, on a very crude level, assessment can encourage students to perform to a higher level: "Whether we like it or not, most students tend to focus their energies on the best or most expeditious way to pass their 'tests'" (Scanlan, n.d.). Q2. - What are some tools and approaches that are most appropriate in assessing children's learning and development?

Alfie Kohn discussed many fabulous points in his article, “Degrading to De-Grading”. The author suggests more effective ways to assess students’ progress other than numerical or letter grades such as, portfolios or narratives. Kohn goes into detail about why our current grading system is flawed. Grades can cause students to lose interest in learning, this causes them to stop taking challenges. If students are not engaged and interested than they are not retaining the information they are being taught. The grading system can also cause students to develop unhealthy competition with one another for instance, “I got a better grade than you!”. Indeed, grades are a wonderful concept, but they tend to be more hurtful than helpful. In some cases,

Everybody thinks about grading differently. Some say that grading evaluates how well a person understands a topic. Others say that it is a terrible way to separate the smart from the dumb. I believe that grading students can make or break their confidence. Students shouldn’t be graded in schools because their confidence could get destroyed and some grades are not accurate, this gives students false hope and sets them up to fail.

Let us start by considering this: Awarding students higher grades helps to develop more self-esteem and greater feelings of pride if they have something to work for. Whereas if they are continuously receiving low grades this could lead to pupils thinking they’re not ‘good enough’ or ‘smart enough.’

In “Grades and Money,” Steven Vogel explains some of his main concerns with the education system today, particularly focusing on how the view of grades has changed. Vogel tells us that when he was in college, no one talked about their grades, or even took them as seriously as many students do today. He states that everyone was more concerned about the actual learning of the class, rather than the grade they received. Nowadays, Vogel believes that students are obsessed over their grades, because better grades means a higher GPA, which ultimately leads to more money. He is concerned because students do not take risks, such as taking a harder but beneficial class, but instead take an easier class to maintain a higher GPA. I can definitely relate to the students that vogel is talking about, because, as a senior, I can see how important my GPA is when saving the optimum amount of money for college. After contemplating Vogel’s essay, I can relate to and have experienced three main problems that he describes, which include: most students nowadays care more about their grades than the learning itself, the majority of students and teachers relate grades to money, and, as a result, education is not serving the purpose it should be.

Farber used many comparisons to relate learning in school to learning in your everyday life. He states, “Learning happens when you want to know… And if you don’t want it and don’t need it, you’ll probably never get it straight, grades or not” (Farber). He made the point that you do not need a grade to learn how to drive because you want to learn. Grades are just motivations to get something done. He believes just because a student gets good grades, it does not mean that the student has learned the materials. He believes that grades deteriorate motivation to do something you love. If someone was good at painting, but then was graded to paint, then it would no longer be fun and the student would hate it. Farber explains that self-discipline is a way to please yourself. This means you do not get something done because you have to, but because it makes you feel good to get it done. He offers a solution to the grading system-- the credit system. The credit system requires taking a class and if you meet the minimum requirement, then you will receive the credit. If you fail the class, then you will not be penalized, and you do not receive the credit. It will not go on your transcript, nor will it affect you. Farber full-heartedly believes the credit system is an excellent solution to the grading

I am a kid myself. I exert myself not for good grades, but for a good future, and that is what is imperative here. The want for money, praise and prevalence will win out over our desire for money every time. Who is providing us with this money? Our parents? They already pay for our education. Students need to learn that they will need a fuel other than their parents' wealth as they become more and more independent. Grades don't always reflect competence, either. A child who is inherently bright needs to learn there is always room for improvement, whatever his or her report card says.

Of all the problems we have in our education system, grading is the most misunderstood. Alfie Kohn reinforces the idea that grades have a negative impact on students,in his essay from “Degrading to De-grading”, by stating that grades encourage students to take the “easy way”, by taking the least challenging courses. Another point Kohn makes is that students’ learning is negatively affected by grades because the students only recite the information for the test. After the teachers test the information the students just “learned”, the information becomes irrelevant to the student.The students quickly forgot the information and never really learn it. Not only do grades harm the student, but also the teacher. Grades harm

In her article, "Are Letter Grades Failing Our Students?", Cindy Long quotes education expert, Alfie Kohn, and states, "Letter grades are not only unnecessary but harmful [as well]" (Cindy Long, Paragraph 2). She then goes on to argue the fact that when kids are graded, they tend to avoid challenges, and lose interest in learning, in order to "Maximize the chance of getting an A" (Cindy Long,

Alfie Kohn, author of “From Degrading to De-grading”, discussed the negative psychological effects that grades have on students. School should be used to educate people and strengthen their mind so that they can more easily learn to deal with specific challenges they will face throughout their life. There are two articles that agree with the views of Mr. Kohn, “Higher Education” by Howard R. Pollio and “Do Grades Do Any Good?” by Jessica Ellis. The articles that were chosen describe the importance of removing or replacing the grading system.