Grades play a crucial role in today’s educational world and students’ educational experience. The general perception is that grades are intended to report students’ academic performance, but many people include in grade calculations information such as participation, extra credit, and other behaviors that are not direct contributors to or reflective of learning. Most people are familiar with the traditional A-F grading system, but even cursory examination reveals multiple shortcomings in its application and ability to communicate the whole picture.
Most experts advise that we need a better way to communicate the nature, amount, and quality of student learning. We need a reporting system that tells those who depend on it the story of what they want and need to know. However, there remains considerable confusion and debate regarding what story grades should tell.
It makes little sense to try and change the current system without having considered the ways in which what we do now falls short and what features would make a new system more effective. Before making any changes, we need to gain greater clarity about what a system for reporting on learning should be able to communicate. Once we know what we need, we can decide how best to shape the system. Of course, this conversation needs to include a full range of stakeholders if we hope to achieve understanding of the need and create support for any change. Here are seven questions to start our reflection and discussion:
- Should grades reflect a student’s learning journey or just their knowledge end point?
- Is it fair for a student who already knows much of what we are teaching to receive a higher grade than a student who began the current unit knowing little and having few related skills but who gave maximum effort and made huge progress throughout the unit?
- If you were to hire someone, would you rather understand what they know or how able and motivated they are to learn?
- Should grades reflect students’ ability to apply what they have learned, or is it enough to show that they can recite, repeat, or record what they were taught?
- Should grades reflect the knowledge and skills students are able to retain or just concept and skills they know at the conclusion of instruction?
- In what ways does the dominant A-F grading system fall short in giving intended audiences enough information to determine what students know and can do?
- What features would you include in a perfect grading system?
Around this time last year, we posted an article regarding the debate invited by the first question asked above (Debate: Should Grades Reflect What Students Learn or What They Know?), and we heard varied responses from our followers. Regardless of where you align on that topic, though, notice how that question is one of many—and more that are not listed.
If, in the end, we might conclude that no single grading system can meet all the needs we identify, we may need to create multiple reporting mechanisms. If this is where we find ourselves, what might those reporting tools look like and do? And what stories would they tell?
