Pros And Cons Of Grading

Throughout the years, the topic of if grading is appropriate for of judging students work has been called into question. There have been many pros and cons to each side, but yet no final answer has been reached. Some believe that grades are the only true way to determine how a child is doing in school and if they are achieving some of the milestones that they should be. Others believe that grades reduce the student’s quality of thinking and diminish their true interests in an activity. When presented with the option of choosing between the two topics of should schools use a grading system or not, I chose that they should not. The opposing opinion believes that grades serve as a way to “determine which students should be promoted to the next level.” They are a form of motivation that help students create a desire to learn in the subject they love and to do more than just memorize the material. Lowman says that “some students strive for high grades as rewards” while “others are motivated more by a a fear of failure.” Something else that plays into this is that if letter grades are not used in elementary school but are used in all the upper levels

Students become so focused on grades they fail to learn the material right in front of them. Lowman says it the best when he states that “students with a stronger interest in grades than learning view the college experience as a crucible in which they are tested and graded and which is endured as a necessary evil on the way to getting a degree or becoming certified in a profession.” He also quotes a study that talks about how students who are more interested in learning have been found to be more “emotionally stable, trusting, imaginative, self-sufficient and relaxed” Gold, Reilly, Silberman and Lehr also harp on the point that grades encourage students to take the easiest classes in order to get the highest grades