Should Grades be Abolished?

[gsmax5]

Not directly related to Social Phobia, but I want to see what people with anxiety issues think of the grading system.

If you could state why you chose what you did, that would be great.

 

[freestylemonster]

the first choice seems like the better one in theory, but when put into practice you'll realize that most kids in grade school couldn't care less about what they're learning...If I had no way of failing school I'd have absolutely no incentive to go to class and learn. It sounds dumb, but it's the way most kids are.

At least if I had a chance of failing school I'd go to class and learn what they're teaching so that I could pass

that's my two cents...

 

[Tiercel]

I voted no. Without grades, how can a nitpicking perfectionist know how much farther he or she has to go to actually be perfect?

 

[lyricalliaisons]

I voted for the grading system because, for myself, if it hadn't been for getting a decent grade, there would have been no point in going to school. I would have hated it even more than I already did. At least getting a grade that was decent was an incentive for me to go, despite my fears.
I'm in college now & that still applies.

 

[NormanBates]

I talked to a few teachers who wish the grading system could be abolished. But I can't imagine what it would be replaced with.

 

[mmmm]

I'm all for grades. I'd be somewhat uncomfortable visiting a surgeon whose school reports were based solely on his friendly attitude or school spirit.

 

[Thelema]

If it wasn't for grades, I wouldn't be up writing a 3 page essay at 2 am right now. If I didn't care about a grade, a lot of work would never get finished.

 

[limetree]

I think unschooling should be a legit option since you can still get a high school diploma and attend college without grades just by writing a thesis. In sudbury schools there is no curriculum so children spend plenty of time developing their own interests and prioritising their boredom. The potential for whether you're competent for the field will be assessed once you get to uni. Some people need the structure to motivate them but I find that the more structure is imposed on me, the more I will resist it. Personalised learning could be beneficial where you get evaluative reports for doing internships/assignments instead of exams ie. big picture schools.

 

[chola]

I can't really agree with either of these answers. No, we shouldn't get rid of the grading system all together because it's necessary to know, for example, whether a doctor has good enough marks to pass med school.
I don't think kids need to be graded, though. There were so many times in school when I thought, 'wow this related topic is really interesting, but no one is going to give me an A for learning it, so what's the point?' In that sense I think that the grading system actually prevents kids from getting credit for taking initiative to learn on their own, or even to find new interests that aren't provided for them.

 

[N0D]

If the goal of school isn't for students to learn then the school fails and all the teachers and students fail. One big gathering of failures.

Sorry if that offends anyone. I had a terrible time in school and when the opportunity presents itself such as now I carry on a vendetta against the current educational system.

 

[chola]

I think unschooling should be a legit option since you can still get a high school diploma and attend college without grades just by writing a thesis. In sudbury schools there is no curriculum so children spend plenty of time developing their own interests and prioritising their boredom. The potential for whether you're competent for the field will be assessed once you get to uni. Some people need the structure to motivate them but I find that the more structure is imposed on me, the more I will resist it. Personalised learning could be beneficial where you get evaluative reports for doing internships/assignments instead of exams ie. big picture schools.

This sounds like a nice system. I don't think you can write a thesis to pass high school in the states. You can take a standardized test, though.

 

[Honda]

How will you teach people to be responsible and work hard on their future if there wasnt any grading system..