Editorial: Should Letter Grades Be Replaced?

For more than a century, students around the world have been assessed with grading systems, mostly with letters or numbers that determine a large part of their life. Our school is no exception – at the end of each semester students bring home a report card with assorted letter grades they are either proud or scared to show their parents.

According to Yale University historian George W. Pierson, the first grades were issued at Yale, where the President Ezra Stiles recorded in his diary that there were “Twenty Optimi, sixteen second Optimi, twelve Inferiores (Boni), ten Perjores.” Later in the late 19th century, the Mount Holyoke College developed a grading system where letter grades represented a numerical value (which was far less forgiving than the modern one we have adapted at our school – back then a 85-94 was a B, and a 75 was a D). Over the years the letter grade has made its way to schools all over the world.

Being in a school with a large student body means that teachers may have to give letter grades to be efficient. It is also the most widely accepted grading system, used in nearly every school across the globe. However, a single letter grade is certainly daunting for most students, especially in our community where a grade lower than B commonly causes stress and disappointment.

Letter grades are, of course, a reflection of a student’s academic capabilities to a certain extent, but it is a very small reflection of who the student is as a person. What the letter grades do not show are the personalities, talents, and traits of the student that may not surface in the classroom. This could lead to students going to extreme (and even immoral) lengths to get that sought-after “A”. Readers should also keep in mind that grades can be achieved by dishonest means (cheating) and bias could exist in a teacher’s judgement. Keep in mind that this does not mean that schools should adopt a new grading system where they are awarded emojis instead of letter grades (😊  to replace A, 😠  to replace a D). However, a single letter grade should definitely not be the be all end all of a student’s high school life, as a single mark can not possibly communicate the cognitive skills each student has. While the globally accepted grading system may not change, students and individuals who may be concerned with a student’s grades (parents) should not think that a D stands for “Doomsday”.

Perhaps schools can follow in the steps of British Columbia, where recently the school district has pushed for a feedback-based report-card system where students receive teacher comments instead of letter grades. Converting to this system may take more time and effort for teachers, but it may be worth it if it means helping the students in the long run.