The Grading System in School

Introduction

The grading system in the US takes the form of the conventional letter grading system that is percentage-based. The conventional letter grading system is the most prevalent method used for appraising students in schools. Nevertheless, this grading system received considerable disapproval as being inefficient and a deceptive standard that is continually used because of its popularity (Rothstein & Wilder, 2008). Those proposing reforms to abolish the current grading system cite the need to have a fair grading system using a more descriptive evaluation model than the current grading system. The inference from this observation is that abolishing the grading system used in schools will play an integral role in improving education. Those arguing against the current grading system claim that it is subjective, lacks consistency, unclear and unfair; this is because different teachers are likely to deploy a different set of criteria to determine and report the achievements of their students (Rothstein & Wilder, 2008). In the light of this view, this paper argues for the abolishment of the current grading system using in schools. The paper analyses the proponent views towards the abolishment of the current grading system and their respective counter arguments of advocates for the retention of the current grading system used in schools.

The first significant drawback associated with the current grading system is that it leads to grade inflation, which refers to the increase of academic grades at a faster rate that does not reflect a corresponding increase in academic standards. Grade inflation takes place when there grade distribution primarily focuses on higher grades, rather than grading using the natural curve. The outcome is that the grading system will not be a genuine reflection of the improvement of academic standards. There is the likelihood that educators may be under intense pressure to allocate higher grades. Probable causes of grade inflation include the fear of complaints from students and receiving poor course evaluations, which usually diminishes their reputation and denies them the chance of promotion (Shearer, 2008). The current grading system demands high grades for learners to progress academically; as a result, educators have a tendency of making high grades relatively easy to achieve. This is achieved through the use of diluted course expectations, wherein students aim at achieving the minimum requirements that denote decent grades. Studies affirm that grade inflation leads to an increasing compaction of grades, which creates a perception of excellence in schools. The perception of excellence reduces the motivation to learn and subsequently reduces knowledge. It is evident that lower-achieving schools demonstrated more improved grade averages than higher-achieving schools; this implies that there are extremely low expectations in low achieving schools having high grade averages. As a result, low expectations translated to low academic achievement. This observation denotes the damaging effects of the grading system in schools. Therefore, reforms and abolishment of the existing grading system presents an opportunity for improving education in the United States (Rothstein & Wilder, 2008).

The second drawback associated with the grading system in schools is that it leads to generalized evaluations. It is apparent that grades provide a generalized and episodic assessment of academic outcomes. The grading system uses the student’s ability to attain a considerable percentage of the subjects being taught; this has a profound effect on discouraging students from increasing their proficiency in diverse areas of study. It is evident that evaluation systems that are not grade-based such as standard-based grading encourage students to progress their skills in diverse areas that they have been unsuccessful in mastering. The outcome of abolishing the current grade-based system is that education will increasingly become personal and less standardized than under the current grade-based system. There are various alternative evaluation systems that are far more effective than the grade based system. Alternative student evaluation systems assess student performance on specific tasks to every subject, which in turn encourages students to focus on their deficiencies, rather than offering a vague assessment of the performance of the student (Rothstein & Wilder, 2008). This justifies the abolishment of the existing grade-based system for assessing student performance.

The third drawback associated with the current grade-based student evaluation system is that the grade-based system is only a rankling system used to evaluate students’ performance against average points. The problem is that the grading system suffuses standardized assessments and grade point averaging. Further, the grade based system reflects the academic performance but fails to depict the most crucial aspect of whether students are learning or not. This is because students are treated as statistics, rather than people having needs; therefore, the education system becomes a distortion of itself. The outcome of using the grading system is that students are sorted and ranked, and learning is squeezed into timeframes on grounds of fostering competition among students. Therefore, students focus more on achieving higher grades rather than grasping the content. This is not consistent with the primary goal of education: knowledge acquisition and retention.

On the other hand, proponents of the grade-based system claim that it is an effective tool for enhancing academic outcomes through fostering competition among students. Advocates of the grade-based system assert that grading is an essential part of the student evaluation that should be done away with. Grading system in schools is an effective strategy that can be used to enhance student competition, allow institutions to provide more challenging courses and increase the student’s Grade Point Average. Advocates for the grade-based system refute the assertion that the grading system treats students as statistical variables; rather, grading creates a competitive learning environment through which students strive to excel in their academic achievements. Nevertheless, it is evident that the arguments in favor of the grading system place much system on the establishment of a competitive learning environment, but fail to take into account the fact that the students fail to emphasize on learning the material; as a result, they are likely to look for alternative methods to ensure that they achieve high grades. Grading does not address academic dishonesty, implying that students will embark on cheating as the most viable option (Rothstein & Wilder, 2008).

In conclusion, it is apparent that the arguments advocating for the abolishment of the grading systems are valid and logical. An inference is that the current grade-based system hinders academic improvement, implying that reforms in the student evaluation through abolishing the grading system will provide an opportunity for improving education in the United States.

References

Rothstein, R. J., & Wilder, T. (2008). Grading education: getting accountability right.        Washington, DC : Economic Policy Institute.

Shearer, W. (2008). Grading in schools. New York, NY: BiblioBazaar.