Whenever I see someone advocating changing X in The System when X seems
firmly entrenched, I ask myself "Why does X exist in the first place?"
So why do grades exist?
Because they are easy to understand.
First, it is easier for the adults. When I look students' applications to my
school, I wonder how much math they know. The math grade tells me quickly
how much they understand of the subject. It is an incomplete picture to be
sure, but it is some kind of picture.
When someone calls a student an "A student," it is rarely sarcasm. They are
suggesting that the student is particularly competent at the discipline. We
all know examples of kids who do not fit this qualification -- grade
grubbers and geniuses who do no work -- but we are content to peg kids this
way.
I pretend that most teachers give grades that accurately reflect the amount
of understanding of the discipline. I know that at some schools this is not
the case, and so our school administers its own competency exam for those
kids.
Second, it is easier for the kids. Kids want to know if they are learning
what they should from a class. They are not wondering if they are learning
everything possible -- after all you can always learn or do more. I could do
harder problems and rewrite that paper again. What point is enough?
A "B" says, you've learned enough. You can go for more and get the "A", but
a "B" signifies some understanding of the objectives.
Third, it is easier for the market of students. Call this the
economic/Marxist view. For many students, competition drives their
willingness to work. They need to know if they are crushing the weaker kids,
and the grade says, "You win!"
My son went to St. John's College in Annapolis. They don't reveal grades,
rather the tutors (faculty) give comments. He thought that he was failing
out of school and that he was learning little. He decided to transfer to
another school and saw his transcript filled with A's. He has never really
forgiven them for the situation. He feels deceived.
All three of these (and many other) goals could be fulfilled by complete
critiques of those involved. Few people are willing to do it. Few people are
willing to read it. (Reading one from a school is not enough without others
for comparison.) Few kids are able to sort out who's winning.
And thus grades remain.
Marc "Zeke" Kossover
Isidore Newman School,
where I don't get a grade, and I spend a lot of time puzzling out whether I
am doing a good job. Where should the job end and life begin? There's no
limit to the amount of work I could do for class.
This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.