Rethinking Grades -Especially the Low Grades
I just finished reading an article that questions traditional grading. The article makes sense having seen too many students not make their grades a priority and just being passed along to the next grade … without actually learning. One quote on the motivation factor of low grades was particularly relevant:
“At the same time, no research supports the idea that low grades prompt students to try harder. More often, low grades prompt students to withdraw from learning. To protect their self-images, many students regard the low grade as irrelevant or meaningless. Others may blame themselves for the low grade but feel helpless to improve (Selby & Murphy, 1992).
Recognizing the effects on students of low grades, some schools have initiated policies that eliminate the use of failing grades altogether. Instead of assigning a low or failing grade, teachers assign an I, or incomplete, with immediate consequences. Students who receive an I may be required to attend a special study session that day to bring their performance up to an acceptable level—and no excuses are accepted. Some schools hold this session after regular school hours whereas others conduct it during lunchtime.
Such a policy typically requires additional funding for the necessary support mechanisms, of course. But in the long run, the investment can save money. Because this regular and ongoing support helps students remedy their learning difficulties before they become major problems, schools tend to spend less time and fewer resources in major remediation efforts later on (see Roderick & Camburn, 1999).”
Understanding fully this policy, getting rid of low grades is not the soft approach but rather the tough-love approach. Students cannot just lazily coast through from one grade to the next. The point is that we cannot mislead ourselves and the students that they are competent in the course material by passing them to the next level/grade. William Glasser makes the same point in his article The Problems Inherent in the Present ABCDF Grading System. He makes good points throughout this short article, but a basic point is that “In our new society, using low grades to give credit for incompetence doesn't make any sense.”
Of course, implementing the competence-based measures described above would take a good amount of resources. But those who say the resources should not be allocated should then have an answer for how to address this large, significant issue, especially in under-performing schools. Also according to Glasser, some competence-based measures do not require additional funding. Schools should explore further competence-based-learning/mastery learning - and not just by using the same terminology but by actually implementing these systems’ designs on a deep level.