What Really Going on With the Grading System

In today's society, I feel that I need to score for learning. The scoring system theme stimulated three articles by the author about the pros and cons of the scoring system. First, Jerry Farber, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, wrote a guide for young people about scoring systems (333). Next is Professor Steven Vogel of Denison University who wrote Grades and Money (337). The last two authors of this editing are Stephen Goode and Timothy W. Maier.

But for what? What standards, what motivations and pressures are there? We live in a society where the hierarchy is important, but we will not change the system until the level first makes sense. It is not that the result is not accurate - we value them very much. The moment we are in the real meaning of the level has little meaning. Our students live in a state of permanent, high and intense anxiety. Every time we raise standards, make perfect scores, and exclude most standards, we strengthen our anxiety, increase pressure, and create more fear.

Grading is destructive, but the result may be the most sacred of our school system. Because the score is "ordinary", few educators suspect it is really bad. And many people will object to my theory, and ultimately my practice. Educators may say that I am wrong because I do not like the grades. I should not challenge the "necessary" approach to the system itself, and should not violate the practice that students must learn to love in order to "succeed". Even now, even a bad habit, the teacher may think that I refuse to do bad exercise now and are preparing for the students' future.