Picture this scenario: a diligent student has been studying for her courses, keeping up with assessments, and consistently turning in homework on time. Doing so, she has earned a 98% average in her class. However, on one test towards the very end of the semester, she misses a concept or two, bringing her average down to a 97. This is still a very good score that demonstrates a strong work ethic and understanding of the subject, but now the elusive and lucrative “plus” symbol will no longer appear behind the equally admirable “A” on the final transcript. To prevent a scenario like this from occurring, students and teachers are wondering whether it would be more beneficial for a 97% to be considered an A+.
The story above might seem like a very unlikely situation. After all, an A+ is very hard to attain no matter which course, and the assumption might be that most students would not care about the difference between an A or an A+. In a survey conducted with students in the Upper School, responders were asked whether they were close to moving up an increment at the end of the semester (for example, B+ to A-), but ultimately unable to move the needle. This question also included the example of having a grade that the student was satisfied with, only for it to drop by a small margin towards the very end of the semester (A to A-, for instance).
Surprisingly, 93% of the 68 responders said that they found themselves in that scenario. Additionally, 93% of those who responded “yes” to the previous question said that they cared about the difference between the two grade increments. Afterwards, students were asked the more specific question of whether they had ever had an A+ only for it to drop at the end of the semester, or were on the edge of raising their grade to an A+ but could not by the time grades were finalized. Out of the responders, 81% responded “yes,” and of that group, 83% cared about the difference.
The results imply that not only is bordering on the edge of a certain grade before the end of the marking period common, but students are greatly invested. This then raises important questions about the purpose and interpretation of grades in school. An anonymous junior said, “It does not always take into account the work you put in. I feel like someone who spends an hour a day in the week leading up to a test studying the material could still get a lower grade than someone who crammed in one night.”
“I would be in favor of lowering the requirement of getting an A+ to a 97,” said Upper School art teacher Ms. Shockey. “I think teachers should give students the benefit of the doubt when it comes to grades, and getting more positive feedback would be even more motivation to engage with classes.
The head of the Upper School, Ms. O’Shaughnessey offered her personal interpretation of what grades represent: “I think a lot of the ‘imperfection’ is that it attempts to distill months of hard work and learning into a letter. This is the reason why PDS does not calculate GPA or take a class ranking, we do it so we do not distill students into a rank, number, or letter.”
Grades, at their core, are a quantitative measurement of a qualitative characteristic (Hough). It could be argued that a letter or percentage grade could be an accurate reflection of the quantity of knowledge obtained, but how a student learns that knowledge is more challenging to assign a number to. PDS courses address this by allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways, whether that be through verbal and visual presentations, group projects, pencil and paper assessments, or written assignments.
The question of how to give grades is one faced by high schools across the nation, so what are the solutions? In a magazine article published by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Lory Hough listed how some schools have tried implementing new grading methods.
One school transformed its report cards into proficiency checks. The report looks like a rubric, where areas of mastery are checked off and areas in need of development are not. Each section has comments, and the areas are titled and described in ways that teachers, students, and parents can understand. This way, there is no confusion as to what a grade actually means. Another school has adopted a 1-4 scale, a 1 meaning “developing,” a 2 meaning “approaching,” a 3 meaning “meeting,” and a 4 meaning “exceeding expectations” (Hough).
One final factor to consider when discussing the interpretation of grades is “value capture.” Junior April Kopacz, recently analyzed a paper on the topic in her Philosophy class. “Value capture basically refers to morals imposed by the environment that are not necessarily true to your own morals, but you eventually begin to conform to them.”
When asked about her perspective, Ms. O’Shaughnessey said, “It is better for students to be sincere.” She shared a story of a Computer Science student she once taught who was seemingly an expert on the topic, and he took it upon himself to create an entirely new unit that covered how to write code in a program that was not covered in the course. “That was someone who definitely deserved an A+, but he was not striving for the grade–he genuinely wanted to uplift his community, and that is more important.”
She also brought up a good point in that the meaning of grades becomes less important as students grow older and move further in life. In a professional setting, it is no longer about a grade but rather about performance. With this in mind, perhaps it would be best if the requirement for an A+ remains a 98. Instead, the focus should be on achievement, growth, and effort in a class. While these aspects may not be fully captured on a report card, they are the factors that will be applicable many years beyond high school.
For her final words of advice, Ms. O’Shaughnessey offered, “Focus on what an A+ means to you and work to achieve it. Whenever possible, look at your own growth and compare yourself to where you were the day before. Certainly, do not grade your own worthiness based on your friends’ success— everyone is at different stages in their own process. Focus on improving your own ‘personal best,’ whatever that may be for you. The desire to learn, grow, and improve is already commendable just on its own.”
Hough, Lory. “The Problem With Grading.” Harvard Graduate School of Education Magazine, 13 May 2023, https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/23/05/problem-grading.
