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Letter grading system
Traditional grading system
Grading system related literature
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The article from the New York Times, “Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes,” by Max Roosevelt, has brought up many creative ideas on grades. This article shows that we as students often confuse our grades between effort with the final product. I find this article interesting because, many future occurrences in our life can depend on our grades in high school and college. Reading this article can also help us decide what plan of action we need to take personally, to put in the right amount of effort in to be rewarded with good grades. First we need to consider why grades actually matter
“Good grades are life’s way of saying there is a bright future in store for you.” (Unknown) This quote makes me think of my grades because they have a huge affect on our life now and in the future. It also makes me ponder on the fact that if I do not get good grades now I may never be able to achieve my future goals of work as a professional dancer. Good grades matter because if I do not get good grades it will make getting into college much harder. Now only do we need to get excepted into school, but many times we need scholarships to
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I also thought about the content a good deal. Grade of B = I read the course materials very carefully and participated in the course with more than average effort. I thought about my reading after I put the book or materials down. Grade of C = I read the course materials and participated in the course. The amount of work I put in is satisfactory. Grade of D = I read most of the pages in the course materials, but I only “passed eyeballs over black ink” in some cases. I deserve a passing grade for my work in this class.” (HSLDA Online Academy Eng. 101 Syllabus) These guidelines show that just doing what you are assigned is not enough. I need to not only read the assignments, but I need to think about them and use the information daily, to get a good grasp on the
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
Most students do care about their grades and want to succeed, so they may go into argue their grades. As shown in examples though, parents become very upset with their kids if they do not achieve up to their high class standards. A very good point is made by Shepard. Not all kids are good enough to receive A's. Parents need to be satisfied with a B because that is in the upper part of the college usually. Obtaining an A or A plus should be almost a honor. Shepard grabs the attention of me and other people by discussing how getting a B should be relieving still, even if it isn't
In “Grades and Money,” Steven Vogel makes it clear that he is disappointed and frustrated with what grades have become. He believes that grades have become commoditized and that students’ grades suffer because of their relation with money. Vogel also believes that students no longer take any risk with their education. I agree with Vogel that grades are being equated to money by students, that students’ work suffers because of grades, and that students no longer take risks in their educational process.
In “How Grading Reform Changed Our School,” author Jeffrey A. Erickson discusses about how it is common in high schools to pass each student by their accumulated average of the entire class period. He described many examples to display the way of grading in high schools such as in behaviors, lessons, and tasks. He talks about the changes that were made and were in effect to achieve a grading average that reflects the student 's’ abilities and knowledge .
I have always valued school and enlarging my intelligence; I receive a sense of pride from earning a decent grade on a paper or on a particular assignment. Alfie Kohn wrote an essay titled “From Degrading to De-grading”; in it he suggests a different view on the current education system. Even though students expect marks and even seem dependent on them, grading should spur on a love of studying not deter it. Grades tend to reduce a student’s inclination for stimulating tasks, and lessen students’ interest in erudition.
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.
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.
In Robert Schlesinger’s op-ed article “College Students Need to Toughen Up, Quit Their Grade Whining”, originally published in the U.S. News & World Report, Schlesinger asserts that today’s students expect that an average or higher grade should be favored by simply relying on attending classes, without demonstrating much of an improvement in their performance, leading to the watering down of the fair grading system. Schlesinger describes it as “grade inflation”. Schlesinger references a study on student’s expectation of grades conducted by the
Grade retention seems like a reasonable solution to a serious problem. A child is significantly behind their peers, maybe they are emotionally immature, or they cannot quite grasp what is being taught to them. The first thing to do is make sure the child does not have a learning disability, after that, it is determined that since this child is falling so far behind there is no other option than to hold them back a grade. This will ensure that they have time to catch up with their classmates and move on to have a successful school career. Schools implement this every year, despite the research proving how unsuccessful grade retention is. There is no clear cut way to help a struggling child. Children learn in such diverse ways. It is a challenge to help someone falling behind, it takes time, effort and research to realize what is going to be effective for a struggling student. Grade retention is harmful to the student, it negatively impacts the child’s academics, it leads to early dropout, their self-esteem suffers, and it is not a cost effective way to help a child succeed.
Students should be paid for having good grades. According to Psychology Today the United States has fallen behind other nations in education. In addition to this, approximately every one in four students in the U.S. drops out of school before graduation. The main reason for this is that students have little to no motivation. Students are either bored by school, or they are distracted by the other things that go on in their lives such as sports, jobs, friends and their own family life. Although learning has its own rewards, some students respond better to money. This essay explains how students will be paid and the reasons that they should receive money for getting good grades. Some reasons that students should be paid are: if students received rewards for having good grades fewer students would drop out, graduates would be better educated, people would seek higher education, less crime would be committed, less people would rely on the government and graduates would be more qualified for better jobs.
A statement from the Huffington Post states, “From a very young age, we are told the importance of getting good grades. Especially in high school, we are told time and time again that our grades affect what college we will get into. While grades are extremely important, people often forget about the importance of learning, not just getting good grades. There is a difference between the grade received in a course and the amount of learning that took place in the course.” Parents and institutions should teach the importance of learning. The society around the upbringing of students emphasizes getting good grades as apposed to getting every detail and aspect mastered. School priorities should be reevaluated and changed for future students
Pressures on children in today’s society are a problem that is becoming more evident in academics as parents and teachers put more and more emphasis on these children to outperform their classmates, stress in the child’s life becomes an interfering problem (Anxiety.org, 2011 Weissbourd, 2011,). From preschool children to college adults, pressure to execute academic perfection extends across all areas of curriculum. In our highly competitive, American society, emphasis placed on academic achievement has never been so intense (Anxiety.org, 2011, Beilock, 2011). This need to be the best, fueled by our culture in America, has created a social force affecting education, a force to be reckoned with at that. Too often, parents and teachers sacrifice their chil...
Teachers routinely teach you the standardized things you need to know to get promoted to the next grade. In my experience, throughout high school, once you acquire the knowledge to pass the test, high school teachers believe you have reached your potential and no longer push you to accomplish more. Unlike, high school teachers, professors are willing to provide an abundance of support to any student sincerely trying to improve. Not only do college professors help students recognize their potential, but become the driving force behind them exceeding their personal expectations. Professors continuously clarify what matters and why it matters; therefore, instilling a sense of pride in their work, as well as in themselves.
Students are exposed to the grading system from the very moment they begin school. Parents receive progress reports in order to monitor how their children are performing in class. Report cards become bragging rights for students or make students find an inventive way to hide them from their parents. From a young age children are expected to bring home excellent grades and try their absolute hardest in their classes. Grades are the basis for how students are accepted into college, and even higher level programs. In his article, “A Proposal to Abolish Grading,” Goodman ineptly proposes the idea for school to rid of this grading system.
Although the grading system needs improvements, it works in the aspect of keeping students motivated. Currently, many schools use the traditional pass/fail system, because it has been shown to be effective. The pass/fail system is applicable onto assignments and tests, because when a student’s work is being marked, teachers are not assessing whether a student is intelligent or unintelligent, but whether the student’s work meets certain specifications, that is, “one or more requirements that we set for a piece of student work” (Nilson, Stanny, 2015, p.56). This type of grading system sees whether the work “provides evidence of the student’s achieving one or more course learning outcomes” (Nilson, Stanny, 2015, p.56). The pass/fail system allows for tests and assignments to have set specifications. If a student’s work “meets (or exceeds) all the specs, it earns a pass/full credit; if it doesn’t meet all the specs, it merits a fail/no credit” (Nilson, Stanny, 2015, pg.56). To gain the credits, students must “read the directions and requirements carefully” (Nilson, Stanny, 2015, pg. 56). This task tests and allows the student to practice the abilities of following directions, which can help with fulfilling tasks in future jobs. Furthermore, another grading practice that both teachers and students can benefit from is letting students grade their own and their peer’s homework. A study by Simkin in 2015 studied to find if letting students grade their own homework had any benefits. It has been found that by implementing this practice in classrooms, students were able to receive feedback immediately, which “positively influence learning and increase retention” (Simkin, 2015, pg. 147) and were able to feel more included with the class as they experienced evaluating one another. It has also been found that when students grade themselves, it