Earning Points Does Not Equal An Education
Students can use the feedback given in aries by teachers to go back to assignments and improve them in order to show growth and gain the completed status.
October 19, 2021
It is no secret that students in school strive to get the best grades possible. In society many students base their intelligence off of their grades, not to mention added pressure from parental expectations, so they strive to get the best possible.
However, because of this students have tested their abilities, taking hard classes to get grade point average boosts and come off as more impressive. Having to juggle multiple difficult classes, students have put aside trying to actually learn material and gain knowledge, and instead find ways to cheat the system to make sure they get full points without having to do too much work.
To avoid this, a new grading system is being experimented with in the language arts department. This grading system emphasizes the importance of actually grasping the material being taught and striving for growth and improvement rather than just a good grade.
Being considered a “no points” system, instead of being awarded points on assignments, tests, and essays, you are given a status of completion instead. Fully complete means you have put in full effort into the assignment and have done all the components necessary to show your understanding of the material. There are various other statuses you can earn, such as keep at it or needs more work, where you have completed the assignment but have not done it to the fullest of your capabilities.
Because there are no technical points, there are no official letter grades that are put into aries. Instead you will see the assignments and their statuses, as well as any feedback necessary to improve on the material. You can use this feedback to redo any of the assignments that are not fully complete to show your progress and growth, and therefore change the status to complete.
Of course, when it comes time to give out final report cards, letter grades are necessary, so the hope is that if you have most of your assignments fully completed, you will get an A at the end of the semester.
Being in a language arts class that uses this grading method, it has helped me and many other students realize the real reason we go to school. Camille Khong (11) comments on how she “
used to think that getting good grades was a very important part of school, but it is actually trying to learn and understand what is being taught so we can use that information in the future — Camille Khong (11)
Hopefully this new grading system can change the way students view school, and no longer see it as a competition to get the best grades. Of course it will be difficult to overcome this due to other societal pressures, but it is important to realize that a bad grade does not define your capabilities, and that putting in full effort and trying your best to improve is the most important part about learning.
