How Today’s Grading System Impacts Student Education
By: Jack Dong
Grades are an important factor to every student, parent, teacher, and college involved. But the way the grading system is structured can lead to adverse effects on student’s learning and school experience. From the stress that grades put on people, to the obsession over doing well and succeeding, school has changed from being a place to learn to becoming a place to get good grades.
The Obsession over Grades
Over the decades, grades have become an important benchmark in a student's education. Although grades might not mean much in kindergarten and elementary school, heavy emphasis is placed on it during middle school and high school. Students and parents have created a culture where grades are the most important thing about school. Furthermore, the idea that attending a top university or college guarantees a successful future has increased the obsession over grades. Additionally, both parents and students use grades to compare how they are doing against their peers, creating an extremely competitive school environment. There is a common belief that the one with the highest grades will have the best chance at a top university. Even though this isn’t true, many students will do whatever it takes to have the highest grades, such as taking the most rigorous classes available and sacrificing sleep. Over time, grades have become more important than learning itself.
The Impacts of Grade Obsession
One of the greatest consequences of grade obsessions is the overall wellbeing of the student. Students take on a tremendous amount of stress as they worry about the grades they receive. When a student does poorly on a test, their mental well-being decreases which can lead to worse academic performance on future assessments, perpetuating a cycle of stress and poor performance. Moreover, as students stress over any looming assessments or are overloaded with homework, the amount of sleep they receive decreases. Consequently, students will perform worse on tests if they are sleep deprived. Additionally, because of the competitive nature of schools, students are likely to compare their grades with one another, creating additional unnecessary stress. This may result in lower self-esteem and confidence which, once again, negatively impacts student performance. Moreover, this can impact the relationships a student may have with their peers or teachers, ultimately fostering a hostile learning environment.
Aside from the effects on one’s well being, grade obsession impacts how one learns. When students are caught up with their grades, they are more likely to memorize the content to do well on that test rather than truly understanding the topic. This causes more harm than good in one’s education because by memorizing the content, students aren’t necessarily able to apply what they learned to future topics that are built on previous concepts. Moreover, students are less likely to explore deeper into a topic they cover as they are more focused on getting the correct answer. The emphasis on always being correct may also increase cheating among students. The more obsessed students are with their grades, the more likely they will do anything to increase their grade, even if they consider it unethical. Lastly, when grades seem to be the only thing that matters in school, it can decrease student engagement and interest. This ultimately defeats the purpose of school as school is meant to be a place where students learn new things and engage in personal growth.
Grades Highlight the Disparities in Education
Although today’s grading system measures student achievement, it also reflects the disparities in the education system today. Those with limited resources and less support in their educational journey are more likely to receive poor grades even if they show some growth, maybe just not as much as their peers. Moreover, lower grades mean students don’t have the opportunities to take higher level classes that higher education institutions like to see. This mainly impacts low-income students because they don’t have the resources to receive help at a young age, lowering their chances at a high-end university.
Disparities in the education system can also be seen when comparing the grades from a predominantly white school to a predominantly minority school. Schools located in minority neighborhoods often lack access to experienced teachers and less school funding compared to schools in white neighborhoods. As a result, minority students tend to perform worse in these schools as they lack the same resources as their peers. Consequently, it becomes harder for them to receive higher education as universities perceive them to be as unqualified.
Not only can the school a student attends impact their grades, but so can the biases of teachers. Recent studies have shown that biases related to race and gender can impact teachers’ perceptions and assessments of student work. As a result, certain groups of students can receive lower grades even if they produce the same quality of work as their peers. These biases limit a student’s growth because lower grades can prevent them from taking higher level classes even if they are qualified.
What can be Done?
In order to combat the inadequacies of today’s grading systems educators can look to revamp their own grading system to make school less revolved around grades and foster a fairer environment. To begin, rather than giving grades out on a 100 point scale in elementary school, educators can adopt a 0-4 grading scale or a pass/fail system. This would reduce the obsession of grades at a young age because these grading scales will put more importance on the understanding of a concept. Furthermore, there would be less competition among students as the grade range isn’t so wide which would foster a more collaborative learning environment. Educators could also look to move away from grade scale and instead use self-assessments and teacher feedback to help students recognize where they can improve. This would reduce the stress of getting a specific grade and put more emphasis on understanding a topic than just memorizing it. Lastly, if a school continues with the traditional grading system, it is important that they standardize it among all teachers and classes as it would remove confusion and make the process more transparent.
Conclusion
The traditional grading system has a significant impact on student education, influencing motivation, learning processes, and overall well-being. While grades serve as a useful tool for assessing achievement, their limitations must be recognized to foster a fairer and equitable learning environment. Exploring alternative assessment methods can help address some of the disparities in today’s grading system and create a more supportive educational environment. By prioritizing meaningful learning experiences, and providing feedback, educators can better support students in reaching their full potential.
References:
Hough, Lory. “The Problem with Grading.” Harvard Graduate School of Education, 19 May 2023, www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/23/05/problem-grading. Accessed 07 Sept. 2024.
Rickey, Nathan, et al. “How ‘grade Obsession’ Is Detrimental to Students and Their Education.” The Conversation, 30 Aug. 2024, theconversation.com/how-grade-obsession-is-detrimental-to-students-and-their-education-199980. Accessed 07 Sept. 2024.
Schinske, Jeffrey, and Kimberly Tanner. “Teaching More by Grading Less (or Differently).” CBE—Life Sciences Education, vol. 13, no. 2, June 2014, pp. 159–166, doi:10.1187/cbe.cbe-14-03-0054.