Are Grades Necessary for Learning?

Daniel Pink raises the question, are grades necessary? Have grades become the reason for students to attend school? He brings up a good point that grades have become the point of school rather than the process of learning—that performance goals have become more important than learning goals, and I agree.

I believe achieving high grades has become the goal of most students. For those students who struggle to achieve these standards, the grades are discouraging and get in the way of the learning process. Often teachers are grading the final product and the process and achievement along the way have been lost. I think this great drive to obtain the “right” grade has lead to increase instances of cheating, copying, and shortcuts to obtain the right answer, rather than embracing the learning process itself.

However, grades are systemic in the educational system today. It begins early and each step along the way, middle school, high school and even college, the grade determines your path and “success.” We will not be getting rid of the grading system anytime soon. So, is there a way to keep the grade system and still emphasize the learning process? My answer is yes. 

I think teachers can successfully incorporate the learning process into our current grade system, but it takes thinking outside the current educational box. Educators should look at the process and what the real goal is. Is the goal to get an A on the test, or is the goal to understand concepts or big picture? If it is the latter, then is the end product an accurate assessment of their understanding? Are there other ways to assess their understanding and achievement? Grades shouldn’t be the only motivator for learning, but the overall body of work that the student can and has produced to show their learning and achievement. Ultimately, this is what a grade should indicate.