Recently, 30 Surrey schools and 20 Maple Ridge schools have decided to try out a new program that it removes the letter grading system and instead replaces it with an in-depth description of how the student is doing. There are two different sides to this story, as some people believe that the switch was a good idea, and others think that it should be kept as is.
The School Districts are replacing the tradition letter grading system. They think that doing in-depth feedback is better for giving more information about projects and essays,and how you are doing in class. The District is doing this so that the parents and students know more of what the teachers are thinking, helping them see their strengths and weaknesses in the subject or project. They believe that if you get an A, you know you're doing well, however, you don't know what you may be struggling in or what you're excelling at. This new grading system is only applied by the school districts, not the provincial Ministry of Education, and depending on how the Surrey and Maple Ridge pilot projects go, the Vancouver School Board may or may not follow in their footsteps, after they see the project results in the summer.
Some people like this idea of getting rid of the letter grade, other think that if you get rid of it, teachers will have a harder time figuring out if that particular student is passing or failing. Based on the comments of this article, some parents, students and apparently teachers do not like the new program because it leads to hiding the students failure in some cases. One parent named Ginu Pereiera says that a grade to her is a motivating factor,and if the student gets a B, it helps the student strive for an A. Most kids like coming home to an A, and if they get, say, a C- in a subject, in most cases they try harder to get a better grade. Without the letter grade system, they won't know exactly how well they are doing, leading them to believe that they don't have to work as hard to get a good grade, which allows them to pass. A poll on this website shows that 63.67% of people think students should get letter grades, while 29.88% say they shouldn't.
Based on the information I have researched, as well as my own beliefs, my thoughts are undecided. On one hand, I think that it may be good to have detailed feedback on your work, so that you and your parents know your strengths and your weaknesses, and being on the same page as your teacher. However, I also believe that if they take away the grading system, students will start to slack off and not do their work to the best of their abilities, because instead of getting a C, for example, they would just get a description of what they might be doing wrong. Like I said earlier, it may be harder for teacher to figure out if the student is passing or failing. I am leaning more toward the side of keeping the letter grade program, however, both sides have good things to offer.
Links:
http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/01/surrey-maple-ridge-schools-longer-issuing-letter-grades-students/
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