By Madison Narain
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school. It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. The function of high school, then, is not so much to communicate knowledge as to oblige children finally to accept the grading system as a measure of their inner excellence.”
Credited to Jules Henry, this quote introduces the idea that grades do not reflect genuine understanding, but rather a student's ability to memorize facts and formulas. Schools are structured to teach students problem solving skills, creativity, and cognitive performance. However, it is not clear if standardized grading systems can truly highlight and enforce these skills within students. In fact, some argue that it discourages competency and efficiency in various areas such as self-discovery. Grades are intended to motivate students, encourage organization and accountability, and provide structure. While traditional grading systems can measure performance, they lack the ability to amplify creativity and exploration, often leading students prioritizing short term memorization over true comprehension.
According to an article written by Martin Lawrence and Erica Arquette, “In schools, grades are a standardized way of measuring a student’s understanding and performance in a subject. They help teachers evaluate progress, highlight strengths and weaknesses, and motivate students to improve.” Based on this perspective, grades are essential to ensuring that students develop the basic skills and knowledge needed to succeed in adulthood. The authors argue that grades are required to “provide feedback on where students stand academically and guide both students and parents in making informed decisions about learning and future goals.” Traditional grading systems allow students to clearly demonstrate their understanding of topics, giving critical insight to students, teachers, and parents about which concepts need further focus. The article also outlines twenty unique reasons why grading systems influence student success and evaluation, including encouraging discipline and academic accountability, motivating students to learn, providing teachers with performance feedback, and improving study habits. Overall, this viewpoint suggests that grades are necessary to ensure students acquire the foundational knowledge they need to make informed, intentional decisions throughout their lives.
Meanwhile, it is equally important to recognize the negative effects of traditional grading systems. In Loury Hough’s “The Problem with Grading,” Hough expands upon the many downsides of traditional grading systems, including their impact on student’s mental health. The article quotes Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford University, stating, “We have this real system of you need to get the grades and the test scores in order to please your parents, go to college, get the merit scholarship, get a good job — whatever it is. There’s this extrinsic motivation that’s tied to grades, which adds to student stress, and in some cases can lead to really unhealthy practices like perfectionism or great anxiety, paralysis.” Hough further elaborates on how grades can shift students' mindsets, causing them to be less encouraged by building a true understanding of concepts, and instead prioritizing their ability to demonstrate knowledge for the purpose of assessments.
Whether or not traditional grading systems are appropriate is a matter of individual perspective. Although, it is clear that both positive and negative effects result from systems such as these. As a community, it is important for us to continually grow and adapt as educational needs evolve. This discussion prompts the question: should traditional grading systems be replaced with more modern approaches that reflect students' discovery and understanding rather than memorization? Or are current grading systems sufficient to prepare students for the rest of their lives? If grades define success, it is worth questioning whether students like us are truly being educated, or if we are simply being evaluated.