By Lizzie Sheehan
The following is an argumentative essay written by Lizzie Sheehan, a current AP English Language and Composition student.
What if I told you that the distribution that defines your future is skewed? The score that you work so hard for is determined using a scale composed of bias. Teachers throughout America do not share a common grading philosophy – there are inequities across the board.
Before I can divulge the current inequities, it is important to recognize where the problem started. Grading was created for the factory worker as a way to increase speed on assembly lines. The same methods used to judge and pay factory workers are being used to determine college admission decisions. We need to update this.
Grading inconsistences are a nationwide problem. Even the National Association of Secondary School Principals recognizes this. They compared teachers’ late policies: one teacher accepted no homework after the attendance bell rang, some deducted points if homework was late, another accepted work without penalty until the end of the quarter. The inconsistencies were as obvious to them as they are to you. If teachers cannot even agree on when to grade, how can they agree on how to grade?
The problem of inconsistent grading affects us all. From sixth grade to twelfth grade, we students have borne the brunt of unfair grading practices. This is not such a problem when we are young, but things changed when you entered tenth grade. Grades become a top priority. If we are going to revolve our lives around a measurement, shouldn’t it at least be a fair one?
The American school system should move from a 100-point grading scale to a rubric defined by mastery and progress. A mastery-based grading system does not penalize students if it takes them longer to learn material. This system rewards you on progress whenever you achieve it. It is built on the understanding that students learn differently and at different times. In an effort to deviate from the stress and anxiety associated with permanent numerical grades, grading for mastery steers the emphasis from numbers to understanding. Students either earn an M (mastery), P (proficient), (A) for approaching proficiency, (B) for below proficiency or (D) for deficiency. These letters ultimately translate to a cumulative 0-4 scale. From my own experience, I believe that this system is the best way to overcome test anxiety, unconscious bias, and gaps in understanding. In my AP Psychology class, students can earn two points onto their average for handing phones in during class. These points contribute heavily to my GPA, but they do not represent my mastery of psychology.
Despite, “phone points” benefitting me, I recognize an inconsistency at our very own high school. This problem spreads beyond AP Psychology to classes like Chemistry and Global History. Does Mrs. Bell grade the same way that Mr. Gironda does? Or even Mrs. Crotty and Mr. Jones? This is a problem. And one that extends to the national level.
This nationwide problem effects college decisions for every American student. These decisions rely on high school grades so heavily that such a drastic change could take down the entire system. I propose that these changes be established at the middle school and elementary level first. After establishing an understanding of “learning for mastery” with younger students the school system can work to slowly transition it to the high school level. The traditional grading system is a practice that is rooted in our society, if we want to make change, it must be both slow and calculated. We must be unified, we must be understanding, and we must do it together.
As a member of the Building Leadership Team, a committee devoted to implementing equity into grading at Saratoga, I can confidently encourage the education system to transition to this equity-based policy. I am not asking to standardize all curriculum. I’m asking to help students, to support students and to advance our education system. The future of our country is dependent on education. If our education system is not fair, then what does our future hold?
Citation: “Alternative Grading Systems: Is It Time for a Change?” NASSP, 1 Oct. 2017, https://www.nassp.org.