Does Our System Meet The Grade?

When it comes to the American Education system, the grades that we receive for our work are seen as one of the most important factors to judge and determine a student’s success in school. However, this system has had its fair share of criticisms, the majority saying that this form of a merit-based system emphasizes too much on the grades themselves, rather than whether or not the students are actually learning and understanding the information presented to them. The argument in question also takes into account whether or not a grading system serves as an incentive to do better in school, or that it causes anxiety and pressure that negatively affects the student’s performance.

The grading system we use today is an ever-evolving version of a system created in the twentieth century. This system was pulled from a European model of grading that focused on grading as a sort of competition between students, one that awards merits from the top down. It is due to the fact that this system has been in place for so long that justifies the need for it by students and teachers. Since the system is started young and continues throughout a student’s high school career, they may become dependent on the grades they get to serve as a critique on their skills as a student. They may even neglect receiving the help they need or try to learn the material a different way because they are so focused on the grade they receive and are trying to raise it.

Another issue is that not all instructors grade their papers the same way. While it can be inferred that teachers (especially here at Weedsport) are going to be fair and honest when it comes to the grades they give, this may not always be the case. One prime example of the impact different grading policies have can be shown in a study performed in 2009 by grading systems expert Douglas Reeves. This study was published by the Los Angeles Times. Reeves asked teachers and administrators in the United States, Australia, Canada and South America to determine an overall semester grade for a fictional student who received the following letter grades for assignments, in this order: C, C, MA (Missing Assignment), D, C, B, MA, MA, B, A.

The educators gave the student a range of final semester grades from A to F, Reeves said. This is because according to Reeves, teachers use different criteria for grading. Some choose to average letter grades while others consider effort (which in this case seemed to be picking up toward the end) as well as the student’s attendance in the class. This study proved that a different instructor can make a huge difference in the grade that a student receives for better or for worse change the perception of that student’s aptitude for that subject without ever really being able to confirm whether or not the student is actually learning the material.
Overall, the primary critique of the grading system is whether the student is actually learning. After all, the purpose of anyone putting time and effort into getting an education is to learn. While competition can be healthy in small doses and a motivator for some, this should not detract from the reason one attends school. The grade should not be the focus. The learning should take precedent because people are more than just numbers and statistics.