Entrance Slip #4

 Hello twins.

The following is a response to an article on the effects of marking in grading practices in the classroom.

Being a student for almost 20 years, talking about grades evokes powerful feelings. They have a profound impact on people's lives that can shape both our present and our future. They can disrupt relationships, harm mental health, and have a lasting impact on the person you become. There needs to be a change in how we view grades in schools. 

As a teacher, I can use my experience as a student to guide how best to approach grades. The first point I will address is the quantitative element of grades. Reducing a multi-faceted learner to a two-digit number degrades the learning process. Students' entire lives will revolve around that number and any fluctuations can significantly impact their well-being. I support the BC curriculum's plan for moving towards a proficiency scale as a first step in fixing this issue. However, grades 11-12 still receive numbered grades for their report cards to be considered for opportunities in higher education. How can we decide which students are the best without a quantitative measure to compare them? Does the grade provide an accurate measure of their abilities in that subject? If 8 students in a class receive "extending", how can we determine who is the "best"? I wonder how feasible it is to eliminate quantitative measures and stick to more qualitative options. Since qualitative assessments lack this ease of comparison, it may prove difficult to determine which students are most qualified for post-secondary opportunities. 

Is there a problem with the current university admissions process? Suppose we completely eliminate numerical grades in high schools, how would universities respond? One of my classmates made an interesting point about how universities are potentially the root of the many problems facing high schools. Our class on math assessment has been one of my favourite classes for this very reason. It is clear that the status quo for assessments requires an update. I believe there is no magic bullet that would solve our problems. However, it is an ongoing process of making minor improvements to the system to help move toward a better future for all.

From the student perspective, how would they respond if we removed quantitative grades from all classes? Grades are treated like currency and they need to maximize their worth in the educational economy. It is a strong motivator for student success and its removal would rely on more intrinsic forms of motivation in our students.  There is a certain freedom or relief students feel when grades are removed from the equation. It encourages students to explore and be curious without the burden of worrying about their grades. This paradigm shift would disrupt the entire system and the potential consequences should be considered. 

Thanks for reading,

Josh

Thanks for reading,

Josh