In our current education world, it seems letter grades have been around since the beginning of time. Many professionals and teachers would ardently oppose the idea of assessing students in a different manner, but surprisingly, more and more of these same types of educators have been speculating on the true effectiveness of the standard grading system.

Who doesn’t want straight A’s? I want straight A’s. And this report card would communicate dedication to the subject, obedience to the teacher, memorization and intelligence. Grades seem to be a clear marker of progress. As Senior Pat McKenna said:

“…letter grades help out students in the classroom. It gives [them] something more tangible to strive for.”

Aside from this, letter grades also promote competition in a clear way and most colleges require or highly encourage the standard grading system. However, a pressing question to ask is what does the system not measure? Students often forget the information learned and studied after a short period of time. Their care for it was superficial — they needed it for the grade. Senior Tom Harrington agrees.

“Letter grades just add a bigger sense of competitiveness and not as much in terms of [learning,] because I feel it’s just memorizing information in order to get an A.”

And how many times is a hand raised in class only to ask “What’s gonna be on the test?” or “Do we need to know this?” As a senior I can say I have heard more of that over the years than more insightful comments: “Can we discuss this?” or “The other day I experienced a situation similar..”

Mr. Gonzalez, both a history teacher and involved member of the Nazareth faculty, shared tremendous thoughts about this conflict:

“At Nazareth Academy one of the worst things is that students always [want to] know what they have to know, compared to…the whole learning experience. And its about being caught in that thought of discussion, that a lot of teachers enjoy, while students only care about the portions that they’re gonna be tested on. So its kind of upsetting, because getting the A is what reflects learning to them, while for us, being able to talk it out, is what reflects the most about learning.”

He brought up some great points, and while wanting good grades is not inherently a bad thing, it contributes to a narrow-minded student; later on in life to truly create change or be successful with a career, actual knowledge you have retained, people skills, and surely good articulation, expression and sense of discussion are what really matters. Of course the extent of this varies career to career, but the main message of a deeper meaning is what I’m getting at.

An important factor to consider is the subject. For example, more objective studies such as math which tests for clear right and wrong answers are harder to envision with a different grading system than a liberal arts, ethics or debate class would be  — obviously a flaw to the proposed system. However, there could be ways to work around it, or maybe just specialized, varied grading for certain classes would solve the problem. Likewise, whether or not the student is inherently attracted to subject and gifted with the skills for it plays a role, as well as the way they are being tested. Albert Einstein articulated this concept well:

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing its stupid.”

If I was told I was going to be a mathematician and study numbers for the rest of my life, I certainly wouldn’t be excited about my future — I enjoy writing. This is true of almost every student: they all possess different talents and enjoyments, so to expect a greater interest from them towards subjects they absolutely despise is unfair. Therefore, in some cases, it is impossible for a student to care beyond the grade, which is what a different assessment system would theoretically entail. They just want to pass because who cares if they love math if they don’t want to pursue it? And in many ways, there is nothing wrong with that.

English teacher Mrs. Sadowski highlighted this issue nicely: students will inevitably be disinterested in one subject or another and just get by with “a grade that [he or she] can tolerate.” She went on to question, “Is that bad? Can you like every single thing? What your needs are aren’t necessarily what my needs are.”

She also referenced how one school that, aside from letter grades, was in the process of adding a secondary assessment to students’ achievement.

“How they’re gonna do that I don’t know,” said Mrs. Sadowski, laughing. Her laughter is understandable.

Although grades might be here to stay for say, a hundred years, and likely even longer, there is undeniable creativity, innovation and even intelligence in dissecting the grading system and a mere questioning of its capabilities and effectiveness. Perhaps students (although still discovering their interests in high school and even college) should really learn and feel confident which subject or area they are specifically passionate about, and then consequently immerse themselves in it, striving to look beyond the letter grade. And maybe there would be a positive impact in teachers reassessing the way they assess students’ knowledge: weighting tests differently, implementing more discussion, offering projects or activities that cater to the variety of strengths within students. This could even heighten the class’s interest about the information and encourage them to genuinely care about certain issues or techniques — both factors increasing the chance of the course’s knowledge tapping into the long-term memory.

Moreover, both the young and old should question convention; this act is what sparks change and ultimately improves the world around us. We are used to grades, which further limits our sight of an education system or schools without them. But just because we are blinded to a new system and the future itself, it is not crazy to say that years from now maybe people will be able to learn more effectively with a different type of assessment. Likewise, it’s important to note that when you put it into perspective, grades are not the be all and end all. The next time students stress and get upset over an unwanted grade, they should sit back and confidently remind themselves that the facets of their knowledge, sense-of-self and worth cannot possibly be demeaned to a simple letter.

When asked what would be the ideal way of assessing students for their knowledge, Mr. Gonzalez described, “We would sit down, once a week, in a circle, with a cup of coffee, and we would discuss everything that we [learned] throughout the week.”

While some may laugh that an assessment like that would actually be implemented at Nazareth, my reaction is different. I think his comment contained many powerful, positive elements — sophisticated discussion, true respect for peers, a more personal understanding of the world around us, a less formal and more sentimental, relatable atmosphere, communication skills, and a more thorough assessment of a student’s deeper knowledge. His comment further sparked my guiding question: How can structured letter grades supersede elements like these?
The classic report card doesn’t look like its leaving any time soon, but when you think about it, nothing is stopping you from that cup of coffee, that circle of discussion, that more significant way to explore the limitless knowledge, understanding and insights so often overshadowed by the mark of one of the ABC’s.