I have been debating the issue of the the importance of grades with other educators in both high school and university for about two years now. And it still continues...
Are grades all that important? They are just letters assigned to assignments, test or projects that reflect a one time occurrence.
Where does actual learning come into play. Any average-skilled cheater can achieve A's or B's in class and learn very little but how to cheat a little bit better.
Is learning important to students at all or is school all about grades. I understand that GPA and class rank, ACT and SAT scores, and other grade related information is important, but shouldn't the emphasis be on what students have learned and how they can use that learning.
What good is an A in calculus if you haven't learned the skills needed to pass a college algebra course. It is no hard to get an A- with a little skill, help from the teacher or classmates and some effort anyone can do it. But it is the application of those supposedly learned skills that really brings the learning done to light.
Colleges and universities must now offer remedial classes to get high school students caught up in the skills that are lacking, especially in math, reading and writing. How can a student who received a B in writing courses in high school, need remedial classes when in college. Were is the learning that was supposed to take place? With grade inflation and water-down curriculum, no wonder learning is not occurring.
I realize that change must begin from the top (the real work world and then colleges) and trickle down, but when will that happen? Is the education world so caught up in NCLB legislation and teaching to the test that we have forgotten about real learning? I am afraid that this debate will be around long after I have left the teaching world.. How sad!!!!
7 comments:
Even though I know deep down that learning is the important purpose of school, it still feels like grades are running the show. I care so much about my grades; I can't even stand the thought of receiving a B in a class. I'm not even sure why because the pressures aren't coming from anyone but me.
I also hate when people think that they can rely on others and take advantage by cheating. Why should I only get 3 hours of sleep only to do others homework for them. What makes them so special that they can't do it themselves.
I couldn't possibly even think about getting a B in a class, grades are a big part of my life and it seems at times that my parents care about my grades more than they care about me. What is up with that? Staying up until all hours of the night and coming to school the next morning and being bombarded with people who didn't do their homework and want to cheat off of me really bothers me a lot. I mean i didn't have the time to do it, but i made the time. What is so special about them that they couldn't do it themselves? It only hurts them in the end.
Ellen...I completely agree with you about grades and the pressure to do so well in school (mostly coming from yourself). Just this past weekend, I told my parents we had to hurry home because I had missed two days of school and I needed to get started on homework. I said I'll be failing things if I didn't get home early enough, as my Godfather heard that, he said, "So is a C failing to you?" And I said yes, because it's not an A. I think a lot of what we do in school is for grades and not learning. Students strive for the grade not the knowledge. Even though knowledge is what is really going to help you in the long run...especially with ACT's and SAT's and all those fancy testings. You can't cheat very well on a standarized test; I understand Ellen's point in her doing her work and everyone else relying on someone else to do it for them. My mom once said to me, "So where's cheating going to get you in life? Nowhere. How would it make you feel if you were just about to have open heart surgery and the surgeon you had cheated his entire way through college? All these kids who think they don't have to work for anything nowadays are going to hit reality and it's going to hit them hard."
I don't know how any one can possible get a F in this class. I mean you give us time and every thing to get are homework done. I can not get a D+ or my mom would kill me. So I don't know how people can get an F. This also goes for all the other classes to.
It gets kind of annoying when your parents are always pressuring you to do better even though you already have an A. If I get a B in a class it is almost like the world is going to stop turning. My mom is on me right away to get it back up to an A. I guess i understand though because they want the best for you. If kids would just sit down and do their homework or study it wouldnt be hard to keep at their standards, but sometimes we get lazy and just want the weekend or CHRISTMAS BREAK to get there so we get lazy. All in all i think that grades are very important.
It is hard to tell. Some people are proud when they gain an "A" when they work hard to get it. Now people are proud to get a high grade when they cheat. Why would they. They cheateed from people you actually do work hard, and deserve that grade. You do not deserve the grade if you cheat. You need to watch what you do.
To me I think grades are important because I have to stay legible for sports. I don't think that kids should cheat to stay legible though. I think if they are struggling to get good grades, they should go to the teachers for help.
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