Yes,
Three Main Effects of Grading
Researchers have found three consistent effects of using - and especially, emphasizing the importance of - letter or number grades:
1. Grades tend to reduce students' interest in the learning itself. One of the most well-researched findings in the field of motivational psychology is that the more people are rewarded for doing something, the more they tend to lose interest in whatever they had to do to get the reward (Kohn, 1993). Thus, it shouldn't be surprising that when students are told they'll need to know something for a test - or, more generally, that something they're about to do will count for a grade - they are likely to come to view that task (or book or idea) as a chore.
While it's not impossible for a student to be concerned about getting high marks and also to like what he or she is doing, the practical reality is that these two ways of thinking generally pull in opposite directions. Some research has explicitly demonstrated that a "grade orientation" and a "learning orientation" are inversely related (Beck et al., 1991; Milton et al., 1986). More strikingly, study after study has found that students -- from elementary school to graduate school, and across cultures - demonstrate less interest in learning as a result of being graded (Benware and Deci, 1984; Butler, 1987; Butler and Nisan, 1986; Grolnick and Ryan, 1987; Harter and Guzman, 1986; Hughes et al., 1985; Kage, 1991; Salili et al., 1976). Thus, anyone who wants to see students get hooked on words and numbers and ideas already has reason to look for other ways of assessing and describing their achievement.
2. Grades tend to reduce students' preference for challenging tasks. Students of all ages who have been led to concentrate on getting a good grade are likely to pick the easiest possible assignment if given a choice (Harter, 1978; Harter and Guzman, 1986; Kage, 1991; Milton et al., 1986). The more pressure to get an A, the less inclination to truly challenge oneself. Thus, students who cut corners may not be lazy so much as rational; they are adapting to an environment where good grades, not intellectual exploration, are what count. They might well say to us, "Hey, you told me the point here is to bring up my GPA, to get on the honor roll. Well, I'm not stupid: the easier the assignment, the more likely that I can give you what you want. So don't blame me when I try to find the easiest thing to do and end up not learning anything."
3. Grades tend to reduce the quality of students' thinking. Given that students may lose interest in what they're learning as a result of grades, it makes sense that they're also apt to think less deeply. One series of studies, for example, found that students given numerical grades were significantly less creative than those who received qualitative feedback but no grades. The more the task required creative thinking, in fact, the worse the performance of students who knew they were going to be graded. Providing students with comments in addition to a grade didn't help: the highest achievement occurred only when comments were given instead of numerical scores (Butler, 1987; Butler, 1988; Butler and Nisan, 1986).
In another experiment, students told they would be graded on how well they learned a social studies lesson had more trouble understanding the main point of the text than did students who were told that no grades would be involved. Even on a measure of rote recall, the graded group remembered fewer facts a week later (Grolnick and Ryan, 1987). A brand-new study discovered that students who tended to think about current events in terms of what they'd need to know for a grade were less knowledgeable than their peers, even after taking other variables into account (Anderman and Johnston, 1998).
More Reasons to Just Say No to Grades
The preceding three results should be enough to cause any conscientious educator to rethink the practice of giving students grades. But as they say on late-night TV commercials, Wait - there's more.
4. Grades aren't valid, reliable, or objective. A "B" in English says nothing about what a student can do, what she understands, where she needs help. Moreover, the basis for that grade is as subjective as the result is uninformative. A teacher can meticulously record scores for one test or assignment after another, eventually calculating averages down to a hundredth of a percentage point, but that doesn't change the arbitrariness of each of these individual marks. Even the score on a math test is largely a reflection of how the test was written: what skills the teacher decided to assess, what kinds of questions happened to be left out, and how many points each section was "worth."
Moreover, research has long been available to confirm what all of us know: any given assignment may well be given two different grades by two equally qualified teachers. It may even be given two different grades by a single teacher who reads it at two different times (for example, see some of the early research reviewed in Kirschenbaum et al., 1971). In short, what grades offer is spurious precision - a subjective rating masquerading as an objective evaluation.
5. Grades distort the curriculum. A school's use of letter or number grades may encourage what I like to call a "bunch o' facts" approach to instruction because that sort of learning is easier to score. The tail of assessment thus comes to wag the educational dog.
6. Grades waste a lot of time that could be spent on learning. Add up all the hours that teachers spend fussing with their grade books. Then factor in all the (mostly unpleasant) conversations they have with students and their parents about grades. It's tempting to just roll our eyes when confronted with whining or wheedling, but the real problem rests with the practice of grading itself.
7. Grades encourage cheating. Again, we can continue to blame and punish all the students who cheat -- or we can look for the structural reasons this keeps happening. Researchers have found that the more students are led to focus on getting good grades, the more likely they are to cheat, even if they themselves regard cheating as wrong (Anderman et al., 1998; Milton et al., 1986; also see"Who's Cheating Whom?").
8. Grades spoil teachers' relationships with students.Consider this lament, which could have been offered by a teacher in your district:
I'm getting tired of running a classroom in which everything we do revolves around grades. I'm tired of being suspicious when students give me compliments, wondering whether or not they are just trying to raise their grade. I'm tired of spending so much time and energy grading your papers, when there are probably a dozen more productive and enjoyable ways for all of us to handle the evaluation of papers. I'm tired of hearing you ask me 'Does this count?' And, heaven knows, I'm certainly tired of all those little arguments and disagreements we get into concerning marks which take so much fun out of the teaching and the learning. . . (Kirschenbaum et al., 1971, p. 115).
9. Grades spoil students' relationships with each other.The quality of students' thinking has been shown to depend partly on the extent to which they are permitted to learn cooperatively (Johnson and Johnson, 1989; Kohn, 1992). Thus, the ill feelings, suspicion, and resentment generated by grades aren't just disagreeable in their own right; they interfere with learning.
The most destructive form of grading by far is that which is done "on a curve," such that the number of top grades is artificially limited: no matter how well all the students do, not all of them can get an A. Apart from the intrinsic unfairness of this arrangement, its practical effect is to teach students that others are potential obstacles to their own success. The kind of collaboration that can help all students to learn more effectively doesn't stand a chance in such an environment.
Sadly, even teachers who don't explicitly grade on a curve may assume, perhaps unconsciously, that the final grades "ought to" come out looking more or less this way: a few very good grades, a few very bad grades, and the majority somewhere in the middle. But as one group of researchers pointed out, "It is not a symbol of rigor to have grades fall into a 'normal' distribution; rather, it is a symbol of failure -- failure to teach well, failure to test well, and failure to have any influence at all on the intellectual lives of students" (Milton et al., 1986, p. 225).
The competition that turns schooling into a quest for triumph and ruptures relationships among students doesn't just happen within classrooms, of course. The same effect is witnessed at a schoolwide level when kids are not just rated but ranked, sending the message that the point isn't to learn, or even to perform well, but to defeat others. Some students might be motivated to improve their class rank, but that is completely different from being motivated to understand ideas. (Wise educators realize that it doesn't matter how motivated students are; what matters ishow students are motivated. It is the type of motivation that counts, not the amount.)
Yes your grades are very important, you need good grades all through your school life to get into college and university but even if you don't plan to go to college or university you will still need 5 GCSE(s) grade C or above for maths science and English and that's just the bare minimum to get into most jobs.Very ImportantGood grades are very important. Any student, no matter what, needs to have decent grades. Some reasons why: Getting good grades means you are not failing your classes. You don't want to fail a class, and then have to take the time to retake it again. Doing so is a waste because it means there will be a class period taken where you can't take something else.In high school, you have to be academically elgible in order to play sports. You don't want to let your team down since your grades are bad and you can't play.Grades are a major part of getting into college. As you have probably heard, colleges are becoming more and more selective as more students apply. Good grades will let you get in easierGrades not only play a part in college acceptance, they also play a big role in college scholarships. College is expensive, and you will probably want to have some help paying for it.It Depends ...Good grades do help you get into a good college, stay on your sports team, and influence your future employers. However, what's most important during your school years is that you learn how to try your best and be happy with whatever that best might be. You might not be an "A" student, but if you are doing your work as well as you can and not slacking off, then whatever grades you get are OK. Learning discipline is one of the hardest lessons, which is one reason you go to school for so many years. Once you graduate, you will be on your own, and will have to motivate yourself to get a job and earn the money you need and want. If you have learned how to "knuckle down" and do your best, then you will be ahead of many people even if your grades were not as good as you wanted them to be.
I predict that you will fail your exams unless you have been studying. The best way to be sure you will pass your exams is to keep up with your schoolwork every day. Click on the Related Questions for more tips on studying and making good grades.
Opinion: No, I believe children should not be paid for getting good grades. Money does, in fact, influence much in the human world, but for it to influence someones passion in getting a good education can be seen as beyond ridiculous. If one will only make an effort to get high grades and marks in school, to actually hold on to all they are being taught for money then they may need to be taught something else, in my opinion. That lesson would be in actually caring enough for oneself to not have to be paid to retain knowledge that will only do good for them in this world.Yes because people will be smarter.
There is no exact cut off line for any college. Colleges look at more than just grades although grades are a big factor. I personally received an acceptance letter within 3 days with a 3.7 GPA, and 1700 on the sat.
By most state educator certification requirements, grades K-6 are elementary or primary, 6-8 are middle school, and 9-12 are secondary or high school. For teachers secondary certified, they may teach grades 7-12 in the area of their degree major and minor. They may not teach grades six and below without Primary certification.
Reconstruction is more good.
harm
Yes, imperialism did do more harm than good in Afria.
Because you are more likely to get a good job that you get paid decent money for.
Good grade matters but teacher care more of the students responsibility by turning in papers and getting good grades in test .....
let me guess. Levi?? They did more harm than good, sweetheart.
yes
my it would seem that fast food does do more harm than good. because it could cause some deises
Getting good grades is important because it can open up more opportunities for your future. Good grades can help you get into a better college or university, qualify for scholarships, and increase your chances of landing a job or pursuing further education. Ultimately, good grades can set you up for success in your academic and professional endeavors.
yes i .c.t has than more than good
good grades, more friends etc etc
good grades