“Mummy, I’m no more going to Adeayo Model School o!”, Angela complained to her mum as she got up from bed. “Why is that?”, her mum asked. Angela began to relay all the unfair treatment she felt she faced at school. She saw the ‘A, B, C and D’ in front of all her classmates’ names on the notice board as partiality and discrimination. Ever since her best friend, Toyin, stopped associating with her because she always had Grade C, Angela disliked the idea of grading.
Angela is an example of so many students who are unknowingly intimidated by grading and performance levelling in various academic settings. A study looks at the dangers of grading in education and defines it as applying standardized measurements of varying levels of achievement in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters, as a range, as a percentage, or as a number out of a possible total. As good as this system is, it has its unhealthy side, which is very relatable to Angela.
A certain conclusion cannot be easily reached because it has both sides of the coin. Part of its advantage is that it allows for a competitive spirit. Students taking a particular course will feel challenged to do better so as to meet up with other top-flyers. No diligent student wants to be left out of the winning team.
Grading also reduces score pressure. Students know that they are sure of getting an ‘A’ if they score between 90% and 100%. They do not have to worry about getting a particular exact score to earn an ‘A’. This fact alone can be a morale booster for each student.
However, the grading system has its unpleasant effects on students. This is, more often than not, psychological. It de-motivates students who are affected. Angela might have tried her personal best to meet the highest grade and that might not have worked for her, leaving her unwilling to return to school. It could even lead to low self-esteem, making her withdrawn. The fact that her intellect is reduced to a letter indicating hierarchy in grade could be demeaning.
Under-utilization of knowledge and intellectual skill is common among students as a result of the grading system. When a student knows 90% is the start of an ‘A’ grade and has the ability to surpass that score, the urge to try harder disappears because there is no clear distinction of exact scores beyond the threshold. This could also account for complacency in how hard a student pushes themselves.
The idea I propose is the creation of a parents’ portal where qualitative feedback is given to guardians about their wards’ overall performance in school, so comprehensive reports let parents know how to work with their children, rather than reducing everything to a letter.
Dada Precious T.