Would you like to go to a school without tests or grades why or whynot List some of the possible positive and negative espects of such a school?

Answer 1

At one time preschool did not have grades or tests. It was impossible to fail. It simply got the children out of their mother's hair. At that age, children are self motivated to learn as much as possible and as fast as possible. Grades and tests come in when children need to be compared to other children and when problems need to be corrected. If a child makes a low score in reading, that child needs additional help in reading. Some children rebel against school in the fourth grade. At that point grades and tests are necessary to show that a good student has started slacking off. Tests are necessary to show if a child is developing and at what speed. Without tests, no one would know if a child is learning anything. For years, students in some states in the northern part of the United States did not receive grades in elementary school. They enjoyed the lack of pressure. Some mastered the material faster than others. The parents had no idea how fast their children were moving through the grades. In high school, grades indicate future possibilities. Almost every student knows that low grades means a career without college. Students like to know where they stand. A high school without grades does not let a student know if he will receive a college prep diploma or a certificate of attendance.

Colleges have experimented with and without grades. Oxford and Cambridge in England did not give grades for a long time. Students needed to pass a test to get a degree. St. Johns in Annapolis, MD, avoided grades for a long time. Generally students want grades to know how they are doing.

After college, people go to seminars which do not have grades. These are training sessions. They have no tests or grades. The proof of their success or failure is whether or not a person taking them gets a promotion or makes more money. That is more than a grade. In such situations a grade would be meaningless. It is the promotions and money that counts.