Throughout one’s academic career, grades are the main focus. No matter the student, the goal is generally to get the best grades possible. Within all of this concern for a higher score, where is room for actual learning? It is well known that the U.S. school system is broken and outdated. While grades can be a huge motivator they are not the most efficient form of motivation.
It is automatically assumed that children and teenagers won’t do anything without a direct consequence. That is not always true. Standards-based grading cuts out homework-based grades and deadlines. Students can turn in work late with mistakes and no penalty as long as they are learning the foundational material through trial and error. This would mean that daily work, such as homework, will not be graded and instead only major grades such as tests and projects would be counted. Keep in mind that there have not been a lot of studies on standards-based grading.
In Arlington, Virginia, Wakefield High School is becoming one of the first schools in the nation to abolish the current grading system. Wakefield is a unique school since it is in the top two percent for Advanced Placement (AP) enrollment with half of the students coming from a low-income background. In 2018, 56 percent of seniors passed at least one AP exam, which is three times more than the national average. Because of this, Beverly A. Knupp Rudolph from the University of Virginia is using Wakefield as a subject for study.
As of now, the superintendent and a few board members agree with getting rid of the old grading system. The majority of teachers are against changing the current grading system. This is due to their own personal experiences teaching and also due to considering the students that struggle the most. Parents, on the other hand, are mostly against changing the grading system.
Those who are for the standards-based grading system argue that getting rid of homework grades gets rid of unnecessary stress, leaving room for actual learning. A 2010 study by the Joseph Institute of Ethics found that 80 percent of students copied each other’s homework. It is not about the grades but about understanding the material.
In order to make up for the lack of progress tracking that grades offer, it is strongly suggested that teachers do regular check-ins with students to make sure they understand the material and see where improvements can be made. It is seen as better to turn in late work of high quality than work on time of lower quality. All of this makes learning a more flexible and less intimidating experience.
There are several factors to consider when changing the grading system. The lack of deadlines is a major concern for parents and teachers. Not only within one’s career but also in life there are deadlines that need to be met. How will students be able to survive past graduation without any foundational understanding of adult responsibilities? Teachers already have enough to deal with as it is. Asking them to check in on each student’s individual progress one on one would be almost impossible to do efficiently.
Speaking as a former Wakefield student, it was very typical to wait a while to get just one question answered depending on the teacher and subject. This would also heavily impact low-income students as it is very likely that students who struggle with homework will also struggle with the rest of the class material. Grades are a more efficient way for teachers to see progress and any issues in learning that need to be addressed.
While the idea of standards grading sounds great, it is too new to be effective. Personally, I do struggle with homework and deadlines so this new system would be great for me and others that are similar. However, the majority of students would most likely not benefit from this new system. While the current system is very flawed, so is the new system of standards-based grading.