Academic Grading System Essay

The Fairness of Academic Grading

The argument on the debate on whether or not the academic grading system is fair or not, isn’t something that is discussed too often. We have come to accept that the current grading system is the norm and that it is something that is unchangeable. To question the fairness of grading in this debate, isn’t on how it was adopted, but rather on how much of a student’s progress is up for interpretation. With varying opinions from Professors, it makes it difficult to set a standard of work across the board. The need for a grading system is understandable, even necessary to be able to mark the performance of students, especially in higher education. A student’s knowledge is pivotal in obtaining employment and becoming

What has been done to make sure that grades aren’t biased and can be measured to exactness universally? The answer is nothing. It would be impossible to be able to have the grading system down to an exact science. The question of academic measurement was being mulled around by Finkelstein back in 1913 when he wrote, “Variability in the marks given for the same subject and to the same pupils by different instructors is so great as frequently to work real injustice to the students… Nor may anyone seek refuge in the assertion that the marks of the students are of little real importance. The evidence is clear that marks constitute a very real and very strong inducement to work, that they are accepted as real and fairly exact measurements of ability or of performance. Moreover, they not infrequently are determiners of the student’s career.” (qtd. Durm 1993). There are too many variables that are put into play when it comes to a standardized grading system. This is because each college has their own political influence. This is based on the demographics of where the college is located, student attendance, and even religious association. There isn’t a way for the collegiate community to come together and standardize each subject for grading universally, especially when so much of it is subjective to the interpretation of both the student and professor. The

The answer is no, not entirely. While college students will earn the same degree regardless of where they are located in the country, the information that they gained through earning that degree will be slightly varied. This is because of the social structure that is entangled with our education system. There are too many variables that come into play, depending on which instructor you have and which college you attend. While we all have been conditioned to accept the universal norm of the point scale grading system, that is used today, it really isn’t based on anything other than the interpretation of the instructor on what they feel about the student’s success. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone has access to a good quality education, no matter where they live or if they attend a Community College or a University. The strength of the student’s abilities lies within themselves and if they applied themselves or not, regardless of the GPA that they graduated