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Why are we still using an outdated system?
There’s been a lot of advancements made in education over the past 100 years, but grading students from A to F on a 100-point scale is not one of them. The grading system most schools use today was first used at Mount Holyoke College in 1897. Middle school principal Eric
“If what we want in schools is to create a culture centered on learning and growth then a feedback model based on points and percentages isn’t the most effective route,” says
“It does provide feedback, but the problem with letter grades is that it combines every aspect of what a student does both academically and behaviorally, mixes it all in a cauldron and then spits out a percentage. So what we get is information that is not very nuanced.
“In 1940 15% of grades at private colleges and universities fell within the A range. In 2008, that number was almost 45%.” that’s from the book “Excellent Sheep” says
He also points to a misconception that students will be motivated when they score poorly on an assignment or test, but argues it actually may prom
What does grading reform look like?
Saibel suggests a few possible to changes to grading.
- Implement a type of
“habits of learning” rubric. - Separate academic grades from homework.
- Separate academic grades from behavior.
- Give standards-based grades, then convert them to letter grades.
Saibel says the awareness from the research goes back to the 1980s and 90s, but the implementation of some type of new system could take much longer.
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