Written by Yoon Choi
Artwork by Olivia Lee
As early as the 1700s, educational institutions utilized grades as an efficient judgement of how well students mastered their content. Grading systems were used worldwide, in all levels of education. For letter systems, each letter was able to demonstrate the extent to which students were able to display their mastery of the content. Number grading systems were able to do the same, on an even wider variability. Nearly every measurement of knowledge in education is now simplified into a simple number or letter. The SAT, ACT, AP system, IB system, the LSAT, and many more use these scales.
However, despite their efficiency and effectiveness, the grading system has a deteriorating effect on students’ mental health. They simplify and nearly objectify students’ knowledge into a single form of measurement, which may not always be accurate. For example, simple human errors on a test may negatively affect a grade, but it does not necessarily mean that that student did not master the material to a sufficient degree.
Additionally, in many cases, grades become an unhealthy obsession for students. Medical professionals suggest that adolesents should get around 8 to 10 hours of sleep, according to the CDC. Despite such recommendations, most teenagers deviate from getting suffiecient amounts of sleep. Although it is a generalization to state that a lack of sleep among adolescents is solely due to their obsession over grades, it is still a definitive factor.
Unfortunately, a sufficient alternative for the current grading system does not exist. Still, many scholars believe that the current scale is the most objective and numerical way to test students’ understanding of the content. In fact, the modern education system has been so reliant on the current system that it is nearly impossible to make a drastic change that may create a reform from the highest level. Instead, students should take a grassroots approach, changing their individual attitude towards grades. It is unhealthy to obsess over a certain numeral value that may not always be an accurate representation of one’s knowledge. Students should strive to only take grades as feedback for their work and grow from it, rather than to sulk and become disheartened.
Works Cited
“Sleep in Middle and High School Students.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Sept. 2020, www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/features/students-sleep.htm.
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