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Why grades are important
The importance of grades
Why good grades are important
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In educational environments today, the only factor that students and teachers are concerned is grades. Throughout elementary and intermediate years, the ability to learn and build off that knowledge was the main priority. However, once a student gets into his or her middle school and high school years, the main priority becomes academic grades. The reason for the change in priority is due to requirements colleges expect of their enrollees. Teachers begin to explain the importance of academic grades rather than the importance of gaining knowledge; not just for a test but to gain knowledge and build off of it. Students look at teachers as their guidance and key to college, so if teachers are beginning to only care about grades then the knowledge …show more content…
Student achievement measures the amount of academic content a student learns in a determined amount of time (NBPTS). A student needs to learn information for an upcoming exam or test; however, a student needs to be taught how to learn the information and then build off that information to remember over time. Today, teachers are mandated to instruct the basic skills of a course, but teachers need to find time to teach their students how to gain information and to learn without forgetting the subject over time. Each State has different instructional standards for teachers. For instance, in Alabama teachers are required to: be able to design and develop instruction to address the scope and sequence of the curriculum, to modify and adapt curriculum to meet the needs of all learners, and to also help students make connections to promote retention (ALEX). The only way student achievement can increase will be based upon quality teaching. The instructional …show more content…
Classroom instruction is the “purposeful direction of the learning process” (Huitt, Dr. William G). Having teachers set up classroom instruction throughout the semester is essential toward to them and the students. Athens High School requires teachers to have essential questions and plans made before the course even starts. This is required to help students prepare for upcoming assignments in the future. From a personal experience with teachers doing this procedure, being able to plan accordingly for upcoming assignments helps tremendously with organizing a busy schedule like mine. The board of education for Athens City Schools requires teachers to attend monthly meetings and workdays about classroom instruction. For instance, pre-AP teachers attend the Laying the Foundation program for extra instruction to come up with ideas of improvement of student instruction within the classroom. Teachers from Athens High School have publicly mentioned the importance this program. Ms. Stacy Kirby, pre-AP English teacher at Athens High School, said this program has “taught me numerous ways to engage students in discussion.” She also mentions that due to the active discussion she gets in class, thanks to the Laying the Foundation program, her students grades have all trended positively in recent weeks. Although this is a small sample size of results, the program, teachers are using is not
In his essay, "Why Colleges Shower Their Students With A’s,” Staples claims that student grades are increasing for the wrong reasons, causing college degrees to become meaningless. Staples provides evidence that average grades have increased significantly over the last several decades, but claims that it is not because students are working harder. The real explanation for grade inflation, he argues, is the effect of grades on both students and their professors. Teachers give more A’s to receive better evaluations and increase job security. Students give more importance to their grades as a result of the rapidly increasing cost of a college education. Staples argues that modern
From the beginning of high school, students strap on their seatbelts and prepare for one of the most vigorous races of their lives – becoming successful. With the rare occurrence of a break, kids are expected to keep on driving as fast and as powerfully as they can in order to get into a “great” college, which would be followed by graduate school and then an actual job that would make a lot of money. In American society, common values include working hard, determination, and being so productive that free time is not even a question. However, this philosophy is taking a major toll on American college and high school students. For at least 40 years, America’s future has been steadily growing unmotivated, tired, and hopeless due to the overemphasis on performing well in school. This phenomenon is appropriately expounded in William Zinsser’s “College Pressures”, which takes a look at the top four sources of tension that cause these feelings of dejection and agitation. After reading this article, I came up with a few solutions to this national problem. It is time to switch the harsh, over-encouraging green light of education to a comfortable yellow one. In order to make this ideal transition, directors of education across the country need to primarily reduce the amount of out-of-class assignments, lighten the grading system, and incorporate days in the school year that allow students to express their thoughts about school and provide useful feedback.
However, such accusations such as laziness and entitlement, although common, have been prevalent amongst those of college age as proven in “A’s for Everyone.” Shepard had investigated the cause behind this and had put the blame on grade inflation in the years prior to entering college, the pressure to get superb grades due to high tuition costs, and most importantly the belief that “effort” constitutes a grade bonus. However, if one has entered the school system in America, one could see the relative ease in which one could improve their grades through inordinate amounts of extra credit. Multiple students have heard and even seen fellow students ask their parents to even come in for meetings of which equate to blaming their child’s poor grades on the teacher and harassing said teacher to allow their child, soon to be a hardworking, productive citizen of society, to get the “grade they
Some can argue that many kids are educated too early, students start school too early, individuals enter the workforce too early, and retirement starts early. Nonetheless, getting ready to start a number of these activities is not necessarily a bad thing. Getting into college and acquiring certain skills in preparation starts way before high school. Many students acquire their core knowledge from kindergarten to eighth grade and if they are well off due to how much knowledge they took in, they are usually ready to take on the challenge of preparing for college (Murray 237). The foundation that core knowledge was built on needs to devote most of its time and resources to providing increased support for students and teachers in the early grades. Efforts are mostly needed in that field because there is hope that students can become more engaged if they get the amount of attention they need and teachers would need to work with them only if they are given back what they deserve. There is a lot to learn which is why teachers should not be afraid of giving the students extra review on topics they previously learned outside of the class. Certainly, with review more students will confident about what they have learned and find academic achievement. It especially takes time for a student to feel academic achievement if they have already planned on not attending college due to how they felt about grade
Wiliam, D. (2007). Keeping learning on track: classroom assessment and the regulation of learning. In: Lester FK (ed) Second handbook of mathematics teaching and learning. Information Age Publishing, Greenwich, pp 1051–1098
Before we can look at how grading affects learning Farber suggests we look at how it has affected students (333-334). The greatest effect of being graded happens to the individual. Farber asks, “Did you need grades to learn how to drive?” We have become “grade junkies.” Without the grades students can’t learn (333). Vogel agrees that students believe grades are the motivating factor in learning, but only for the money. Students want the grades because high GPA’s equal high paying jobs (338-339). Another negative effect of grades is that students want the best grade with the least amount of learning but this causes conflict with professors because the professor’s goal is different compared to the student’s (339). Grades have positive effects too. Farber believes that grades give us discipline, but not self-discipline. True self-discipline comes from wanting something not coercion (334). Farber defines self-discipline as revising one paragraph all night because one enjoys it (334.)
Today, schools are making it a priority for teachers to follow the strict guidelines of a “one size fits all testing curriculum.” Educators must prepare students for the tests that could make or break their future. This curriculum is focused only on teaching students what they need to know in order to pass the test. “Because the test is based largely on the memorization of facts, teachers will have to teach their students these specific facts instead of teaching for deep comprehension and understanding of material.” (Martin, 309) As a result, students do not learn the true lesson. Although it is highly important that students pass “the test,” this strictly based curriculum is ignoring the important academic skills and fundamentals needed for their future, even beyond the years of high stakes testing; without these needed skills students will be left in the dark once they have graduated from high school. Students often learn on different levels and their educational requirements are not being met with the “one size fits all” approach. Those who create these tests tend not to include those who learn on a different educational level; rather their focus is pointed towards the money rather than on the success of all students. Children need to learn sk...
Imagine walking down the hall of a crowded high school. Most of the students there do not envision how well school prepares them for college. Teenagers have few cares in the world! A vast majority takes the bare minimum amount of courses needed to fulfill school requirements. These graduation prerequisites usually do not come close to adequate, and rarely exceed sufficiency. Should high schools change current curriculum to better prepare students for college? The answer is simply, "yes." Consideration of why and how holds the key to solving America's problem.
In conclusion, education is broader than just falling into what the contemporary school system has to offer. Both Gatto and Graff proved this by explain how conforming students to certain perspectives of education limits their potential in other educational branches that interest the students. Also, curricula should bring a balance between making a school a place for obtaining information, and accommodating the educational demands for each individual student. It is imperative to understand that reforming the academic system, by fine-tuning schools to have its students learn what exactly they are interested in, will lead to having students accessing their full intellectual potential.
How do teachers enable all students of varying abilities to reach the same goals and standards established for their grade level? Instruction begins with a concept of treating each student as a unique learner whose strengths and weaknesses ha...
Most people see teachers and professors in the same light. They perform similar tasks. They teach. However, they are separated by a fine line of distinction. High school teachers help a student build a foundation of knowledge, and train the student to focus on learning. College professors help to shape and define a student’s foundation of knowledge, and challenge the student to cultivate the mind. High school teachers and college professors have similar goals and guidelines, but they take a differing approach to achieving the end result. The way the class is conducted, academic expectations, and view of student responsibility are a few of the contrasts between high school teachers and college professors.
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
Aside from the students, high school and college would be meaningless without its faculty. Most teachers and professors in high school and college are well-educated individuals. They have spent some years studying to obtain a teaching degree. As teachers and professors, their main concern (or goal) is for the student to learn, understand, and master the course they teach. The teacher or professor may accomplish this goal by reviewing the material, emphasizing key points, or providing the students with examples that they could easily relate to. Most of them are willing to dedicate extra time to help the student meet his or her needs. Several high school teachers, as well as some college professors go beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic. They teach you about life in general, all its hardships and all its rewards. Receiving a good education is great, but enhancing your individuality and growing as a person is just as important. Some teachers and professors discuss their own personal experiences and lessons, which they have encountered throughout life. These lessons in life could impact the student and educ...
College for an incoming freshman is exciting, however, it is often focused on the social aspect such as the connections that can be attained through Greek life, parties and independence. Due to the social interactions, freshmen tend to drop out of college after their first year. Focusing on what college is meant for can prevent these situations. The pressures of college such as impressing parents, and maintain a high standard GPA-wise can lead to stress and freeze a student from achieving the proper academic performance. During the mid 1900s, college was considered more of a luxury than anything; people would attend college exclusively to acquire knowledge in hopes of obtaining a career after graduation. People in the twenty-first century, however, attend college to get away from home and enjoy freedom at parties. Education is taken lightly, and those who feel that education isn’t the main focus of college should not apply for sakes of the greater good.
Going to school and getting a great education is important for a successful future in today’s world. Years ago, many children did not go to school and many young adults opted to work instead of attending college. In today’s society, gaining a high level of education is almost always mandatory for many jobs. There are many changes being done to the education system along with new items and ways of teaching in the classroom. There is a growing amount of changes in the classroom such as technology, teaching time, teaching styles, and freedom of space.