America’s most widely spread grading system is an origin of great stress: but is there a better way?
Busy student works on Honors Living Earth homework (Ruby Marie, The Puma Prensa)
Written By: Ruby Marie, Staff Writer
What was originally meant to be a marker for students to track their progress has since become one of the biggest stressors teenagers face in the twenty-first century; and anyone familiar with the public school system knows what I’m referring to: grades.
The letter grading system used in most highschools across America is nothing new. Developed in 1785, where Yale would divide grades into four groups–1 Optimi, 2 Second Optimi, 3 Inferiores, and 4 Pejores–modern grading looked a little different. Mount Holyoke College, a fairly small women’s college in Massachusetts, adapted this idea into the letter grades we see today; A, B, C, D, and F for failing. By now, the twenty-first century, letter grades like these have been adopted into most elementary schools, high schools, and forms of higher education in almost all parts of the country.
Despite this system's old age and roots in history, is it really the best? I find that it's not a hard question to answer when I’ve personally experienced many of its flaws.
When you take a step back, it's easy to see how archaic the grading system we use is. For an institution meant to help kids learn and grow, grades are way too rigid; less telling a kid what their strengths and weaknesses are, and more telling them whether or not they are perfect at a skill they just started learning. Grades bring unnecessary stress into student’s lives, and that's not even beginning to mention the added stress of extracurriculars and clubs.
If you ask any student–around high school or middle school age–what they worry most about on a day to day, it isn’t bold to assume a majority of the answers you receive will in some way relate to the taboo subjects of failing and passing. “Grades do play a pretty big role in my life, because if they’re bad, that's all I focus on and it really stresses me out,” points out Jasmine Khinda, a sophomore here at Carrillo with a schedule loaded full of difficult classes. “It takes me quite a lot of time and effort to keep [my] grades up because of the combined homework from all my classes; so that interferes with my family and alone time,” she explains, stressing one of the major issues grades present students with. Constantly trying to get the highest score on a math test, or the most detailed notes in your history class, can leave students burnt out, with no time for self-care or for spending with friends and family.
Not all hope is lost, however, when it comes to the schooling system we’ve all grown to know and…well, not love. Just because letter grades are used in most places across America doesn't mean some teachers have not personally tried to abolish the whole system, and instead use one that favors students' best interests. Our very own Maddie Doyle, an Honors English and Ethnic Studies English teacher here at Carrillo, has long since implemented an alternate grading system to letter grades; and it's almost a disrespect to refer to it as a grading system at all.
“I think that the traditional A through F system causes much more harm to students than it provides benefits,” Doyle shares, now having experience teaching both Academic and Honors classes, this being her first year as an honors teacher. “The root of my grading philosophy, when it comes to academics, is a grading system that assesses learning rather than compliance.” She explains where she first came across this idea–the book Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning by John Hattie–and how she has adapted it to her academic English classes in the past. “Within the grading system that I use, students have unlimited re-attempts, revisions and drafts–even on tests–and they always have a chance to try again, and there's no automatic penalty for late work, ever.” She certifies that this system works very well in an English class, and believes it could also be efficient in a Math or Science class.
Doyle follows the traditional grading system in her new Honors Ethnic Studies English classes, simply because it's her first year teaching honors, and she wants to have cohesion with the other teachers. As expected, she has already seen the phenomenon of honors kids stressed about their grades. She recognizes that since she’s started using a gradeless grading system in her academic classes, “students are not stressed about [her] class,” and wonders if this year, or in years to come, she and Mrs. Henry, the other Ethnic Studies Honors English teacher, could instruct a unit using an alternative grading system–or just switch to that sort of grading all together. “I will push back on the idea that knowing your grade at all times is necessarily good for you,” she shares as a message to students obsessed with knowledge about their status in all of their classes. She knows from experience that the ideal grading system for her is one where “students can work at their own pace, and it's up to them to master the skills when they actually master them.” She hopes that other teachers can someday use this system as well.
It’s not completely unrealistic, as even UC Davis Medical School got rid of grades years ago, and other institutions of higher learning have recognized the negative effects of grades, backed up by much data and science provided by a multitude of schools.
Despite her being one of the few to use alternative grading methods at Carrillo, many teachers agree that our current grading system isn't the best thing since sliced bread. Jeff Hitchcock, the sole AP European History teacher here at Carrilo, recognizes the stress that grades bring to his students, especially when teaching an AP class exclusively taken by sophomores. He believes that, in general, grades matter more in AP classes simply because “they matter more to the students who take those classes.” Before delving too far into the content of his classes, he has a “conversation about not obsessing over little points here and there; that it's a marathon not a sprint.” He wants students to understand that “the only grade that matters is the one at the end of the semester,” and if you have a bad score here or there, it's not the end of the world. Compared to his academic U.S History class, he knows AP students generally have “more obsession with grades,” and he agrees that the current grading system is not ideal in that aspect, but is unsure of alternative ways, especially ones that would work in an AP class.
Hitchcock says that an AP class without grades, or with untraditional grades, might make it “difficult to figure out how someone has mastered the material. [He’s] not certain how it would work, especially in an AP class that's sole purpose is to prepare you for an exam.” Doyle mentioned her concerns with this as well, stating how her philosophical beliefs clash with the idea of AP classes, and an alternative grading system wouldn’t necessarily be allowed by the College Board–while it might be useful anyways.
It would take a lot of work, collaborating with the College Board and using plenty of outside time, but even grades in AP classes could eventually be adjusted to benefit students to a greater degree. Hitchcock shares that “if a system was developed that got proven by schools to work, and it was properly rolled out,” he would be completely on board with it. He just, as he said, “wouldn't trust [himself] to be the creator of that; or the guinea pig testing it.”
In the meantime, while schools are still taking steps forward to modernize and utilize grades to their fullest potential, Hitchcock offers some strategies for dealing with school-related stress, whether it's due to AP or academic classes alike.
“Putting together a calendar with all of your commitments,” is his best piece of advice, letting you plan out any extracurriculars, vacations, or family obligations you may have, and letting you decide when the best time to finish your homework would be. “I always encourage students to come talk to me, I realize that AP Euro isn’t the only thing that matters,” he also shares, and it’s always a good idea to go directly to your teacher if the pace of a class isn't working well with you, and you need more time on an assignment or help understanding the content.
There's a multitude of negative impacts brought by grades, so it's good to stop and take a step back everyone once in a while. A letter on a screen doesn’t define a person’s worth, and neither does a percentage. Though America’s grading system might not have led many students to believe so, life will move on whether it's a series of As, Bs, Cs, or any other grades adorning their Aeries. All that matters is to try your best, sitting with the knowledge that one day, grades might be completely reworked to be something actively helping students instead of hurting them. Until then, remember to take a deep breath and stay rational; grades aren't the end of the world.