There is only one sound worse than your phone’s alarm going off at 7:30 am: the ping of a PowerSchool notification informing that your grade has dropped – again. You open the app only to see a B+ in math, your grade dropping for an assignment that was never given to you.
The grading system is a complex practice that every teacher has a different theory on. Grading scales are all different based on the subject and teacher. In one class, a 93% is an A, and in another, a 94% and an A-.
Grading systems vary when it comes to policies, brutality, and scales. Some grade on participation. Some grade on a curve. Some have a rigid scale that students have to fight for an A. Inconsistent grading scales are a 4.0 student’s nightmare.
Teachers all have different standards when it comes to late work, grading policies, attendance, and homework. Without clear, followable standards, students often struggle to determine which classes to prioritize when it comes to late night homework. Consistent grading policies would create a better standard for students that would help reduce confusion when it comes to certain teacher’s policies.
When students returned to classrooms from the COVID-19 at home learning, teachers lowered their standards in order to accommodate the lack of education during the period that they were completing virtual classes. However, these standards were never brought back up to their original state.
Educators assume that we can read their minds when providing vague rubrics for complex assignments and projects and wonder why we have questions. Students feel criticized by peers when they ask questions when they are confused, but then get the same response from a teacher. No student should ever be concerned about being judged by a peer or supervisor when they need help. Rather, clear material should be provided and questions should be asked and answered.
Grading on a curve is another flawed approach to the education system. Although not a frequent practice, it is only a way to bring up a class average and add to a teacher’s portfolio by raising their pass rate. It also adds unnecessary competition and penalizes those in academically successful classes. Curving a grade hides the unclarity of the material and deficiencies in the teaching of the material. If the class average is low, there was an error in the teaching and the material needs to be reviewed. This practice is not preparing students for academic success in the future.
In school, we are told to learn new things and meet new people. But, when all you can think about is the grade you will receive at the end of the day, it turns into an incredibly stressful environment that can be harmful to a student’s mental health. With the inconsistency of teacher’s grading scales, students never know what to expect. Being in school is a constant competition between classmates, creating an uninviting environment.
According to World Population Review, Utah is 9th for having the highest percent of youth graduating at least though high school at 93%. On the other hand, Utah is ranked 47th for having a higher prevalence in youth of mental health issues and little access to mental healthcare, according to Mental Health America. The inconsistency of grading scales is a contributing factor to the poor mental health throughout the state. Students have enough to worry about when it comes to their grades, consistency of grading could be one less thing to think about. While little of our state’s funding goes towards the education system, even less goes towards the availability of mental health resources. This double standard is harming youth and is not helping them have a successful future.
A consistent grading throughout a school community could be an important factor in preventing mental health problems and reducing stress within the busy lives of students. Teachers and administrators working together to ensure that grading is a clear, fair, and consistent reflection of their effort and work is the basis of encouraging a positive learning environment.
The common standards of grading scales and policies would lead to consistent behaviors in classrooms. If teachers are inconsistent in their grading practices, they should only expect the same with the work that students are submitting.
