Colleges in America grade students academically for successful careers. For years students grades were calculate by an alphabetic/numeric grade scale. Today colleges are questioning whether grades should be determined by continuing to use a grade scale or switch to a pass/fail scale. Although, there were numerous of factors both positive and negative about a pass/fail system to take into consideration before making a decision. I feel that colleges in America should continue to use a grade scale to convey to students that grades have consequences, open doors to opportunity, and alleviates perturbation. Students understand the consequences of low grade averages, so they constantly evaluate grades by keeping up with their averages. Low grades cause academic probation. During the probationary period students are encouraged to focus on applying themselves to bring grade averages up to standards. While focusing on averages, students are able to change their study habits or learning styles for instance; some students learn by hands-on-training and others by reading comprehension. The grade scale can determine if a student needs further instructions or tutoring. One the other hand, students study habits play an important role in their grades. If a student makes the wrong decisions about studying and preparing for class their grades will suffer drastically. Study habits need to be evaluated and processed for tips to succeed. The grade scale furnishes students with superior achievements the opportunities to receive Scholarships. The grade scale allows professors and colleges to average a point value for academic reviewing. The chart below shows the different level of achievement for a grade scale and a pass/fail scale. The grade scale f... ... middle of paper ... ...ed to do in order to complete or achieve greater grade standards. Students are more focused in the classrooms. Students would be able to plan study time and absorb what they are learning. By alleviating perturbation, students would be capable of relaxing and resting at bedtime preparing them for a productive day ahead. However, the grade scale convey to students that grades have consequences, open doors to opportunity, and alleviates perturbation. As a result, colleges’ academic progress will promote a higher graduation status. Overall, students are able to receive and apply for a variety of scholarships by their multiple levels of achievement. Only grade scale can produce success. Works Cited University of Minnesota Resources. One Stop Student Services. 2010. Web. 5 May 2014. University of Minnesota Resources. One Stop Student Services. 2010. Web. 5 May 2014
In her article, “The Case Against GRADES”, Alfie Kohn discusses the grading system and its faults. She opens her argument with information from an older psychological study that proves the negative impact of the current grading system, and she reinforces this with the proof that “no” research has contradicted this statement. Also, she gives many key reasons including: “Motivation”, “Achievement”, “Quantification”, and “Curriculum”. Kohn supports these topics with other reasearch for why the system is failing the students. She asserts that, “… the absence of grading is a necessary condition for promoting deep thinking and a desire to engage in it.” As support, she offers other solutions and then debunks them by proving that they would not solve
There is a student Emma, who has recently graduated from Austin High School, where 90/10 grading system is used; 90% of Emma’s grade is knowledge based with scores such as tests and projects, while her practice work such as homework is worth 10% of her grade. Emma, finds school somewhat easy and since homework was only 10% of her grade, so she often did not bother to do her practice work. Even though she did not do her homework through high school she managed to keep above a 3.00 GPA. When Emma enters college, she is shocked to see that she would have to complete homework, and that it would affect her grade drastically if she didn’t complete her homework. Emma is feeling unprepared and overloaded with work. She is not prepared for college,
The article written by Michael Thomsen addresses the issue: should we as a society continue using a standardized grading system. Thomsen includes many reasons supporting his ultimate conclusion that we should not continue with any system of standardized grades. However, the reasons he uses to support his conclusion are affected by significant ambiguity which weakens the overall argument.
In our undergraduate admission system, fully 110 points out of 150 are given for academic factors including grades, test scores, and curriculum. We only count 12 points for test scores, but that is because we value high school grades to a much greater extent--- they can earn up to 80 points. We consider many other factors as well. Race is one of those, but a student who is socioeconomically disadvantaged also can earn 20 points (students cannot earn 20 points for both factors, however). Geographic diversity is also important, and a student from Michigan’s upper peninsula, for example, earns 16 points.
In today’s society we feel the need to be graded in order to learn. The topic of the grading system has sparked three essays, by three different authors, about the pros and cons of the grading system. First, Jerry Farber, professor at University of California at San Diego, wrote A Young Person’s Guide to the Grading System (333). Next is Steven Vogel, professor at Denison University, who wrote Grades and Money (337). The last two authors in this compilation are Stephen Goode and Timothy W. Maier. They both are journalists for Insight on the News. While each of these authors have their own point of view on the grading system, all three essays talk about how being graded affects learning.
...tle to no time for teachers to help students one on one. Then by taking away from adolescents exposed to bad influences, they can concentrate more on that essay for English or the lab in Chemistry.
When students arrive at university, professors expect them to understand the material to an exceptional standard. The problem is that grade inflation is occurring more regularly in secondary schools and universities across the country and when these students’ marks are sent to universities or colleges, the student may be given multiple scholarships for something that he/she should not have earned. Grade inflation is conceived between both students and teachers, meaning that the students are given higher grades when they have inadequate learning, reading, and verbal skills, while the teachers do not have to grade as many papers as they should in the real curriculum. There have been multiple examinations that have confirmed that grade inflation is very real and still occurs today. Students seem to think that they do not need to put forth much effort in school to do well and grade inflation encourages this thought.
One of the issues, which Boyer points out , is that teachers and students have different expectations from college education. She says that the teachers are mainly concerned about students’ comprehension of the material, their attendance and attention while students’ hopes are to get good grades and to be well prepared for exams. It seems that the system of grading pushes students to not care too much about what is being taught from an understanding perspective, but only promotes more concern about grades instead. Some students don't really pay attention unless the instructor mentions an exam or something that will be graded. Furthermore, be...
In high school, many students put minimal effort into their assignments and still excelled above their classmates. Studying and completing homework ahead of time was a non-issue for them. Commonly, these students were convinced
...boost confidence and esteem in students, which would in turn boost test scores as well.
One change institutions should make to the grading system is to eliminate all factors that have noting to do with learning outcomes from affecting the students’ grade. According to the article, “Assessment of Learning Outcomes: What’s the difference?” written by Carnegie Mellon University, grades are often based on more than learning outcomes. Instructors usually include factors unrelated to learning outcomes such as attendance to class, participation, improvement and in some cases, grades are boosted a bit due to how hard the student is working.” These factors are
The public high schools began a grading system as a way of telling an individual how they were performing. There was no interest by the public in reporting the school’s progress at teaching. Teachers, in an effort to recognize outstanding performers, looked for a way of rewarding hard-working students for their efforts The grading structure changed from superior and excellent to A’s and B’s. This placed much of the burden of recognizing academic talent on the high schools.
For years, young students have been part of a school system that has judged students’ learning progress by grades and tests, but is there a more productive solution to teaching and evaluating students? Colleges and high schools are evaluating students based on grades, but removing grades would revolutionize the way people move up in society and what school or opportunities they encounter. Without grades or tests, everybody is seen as intelligent as each other, when in reality there are students who are exceeding, and some who are barely keeping their head above water but without grades teachers wouldn’t know which students to help. For students who dislike school and do the bare minimum a school without homework would mean you wouldn’t
Do you remember over the summer, when a student from our very high school ran away from her SAT’s due to too much stress? Don’t you want that to stop? Willingness to take academic risks is also one of the pros of pass/fail grading. Many students will drop-out of classes that they are not doing especially well in, just because they are not getting an A. Under a pass/fail system, students will be willing to take challenging courses. A pass or fail grading system is like a seatbelt in a car, it gives you a sense of security even though you could get in an
Balancing the characteristics of a good student will not only lift them out of the average student range in some of their classes, but it will also carry on through his or her adult life making a job or a career even better. Becoming an excellent student early on in one 's lifetime is the best way to learn the discipline needed because it 's something that will be pushed onto the student by the parents very young, rather than trying to teach oneself self discipline. Defining a student by their grades is not a good way to understand the student and how they are learning but watching the choices that they make in academics is the key to defining who has what it takes to proclaim the good student