The Case Against Grading: Promoting Authentic Learning & Development

This essay presents a student's argument for abolishing grading systems in education. The author contends that grading systems limit students' thinking, promote a narrow focus on achieving high scores, and can be discriminatory by categorizing students. The pressure to obtain good grades may lead to unethical behavior such as cheating. Eliminating the grading system would encourage self-evaluation, participation in extracurricular activities, and the pursuit of practical knowledge, thus fostering a more natural and authentic development of students' personalities. While acknowledging the counterarguments that grading systems help reduce information overload and identify students' strengths and weaknesses, the author dismisses these as subjective and vague, ultimately advocating for the abolishment of grading.

Running head: A GRADING SYSTEM
A GRADING SYSTEM
Name of the student:
Name of the universities:
Author note:

1A GRADING SYSTEM
A grading system in education is a system that is used for assessing the performance of
students that is based entirely on points. The ongoing debate about grading system is what I
intend to speak today. I will speak for the topic, that grading system should be abolished today.
Grading system should be abolished as it does not encourage students to think out of the box.
Students become confined to limited knowledge, and their focus remains to get higher scores.
Getting involved in intellectual speculation is much more complicated for the students when they
stay away from developing thinking out of syllabus. Students focus only on the limited
knowledge and master the skills in order to be part of the competition.
The grading system of giving points and percentages is an act of discrimination. Each
student is different, therefore for some students grading is a motivating factor while for some it is
not a motivating factor. The students who are motivated by marks perform better, and other
students do not, which categories the students into 'good' students and 'bad' students.'
The grading system is highly pressurizing for students. Grades can even make honest
children's into cheaters. Since the education culture is based on a grading system, students with
less mark are faced with challenges such as unemployment and rejection. In fear of such
situations, students often opt for unethical measures towards achieving high grades. Students
cheat in order to gain good grades which will fetch them good colleges and excellent
universities, eventually helping them to secure a successful job (Valenzuela, Bellei and Ríos,
2014).
Eliminating the grading system will encourage self-evaluation and joining other clubs of
their interest. Through conversations and narrative feedback, adults learn and develop their
performance. Similar opportunities should be given to students as well. It will develop their

2A GRADING SYSTEM
personality in a more natural and authentic way. When the burden of grading is eliminated,
students can get the scope of joining clubs such as singing, swimming, working with
communities and seeking more practical knowledge (Brookhart et al., 2016).
Although there are several disadvantages of the grading system, according to many
teachers and student grading system is a helpful tool that has advantages in the present education
system. Grading system helps in reducing the stress of becoming overburdened with available
knowledge around the world. The grading system is known to be helpful in identifying the
weaknesses and strengths of students in a quantifying manner. Teachers can grade students on
relevant skills that are needed in careers such as writing, reading and listening skills. Also, the
grading system makes studies easier. However, these reasons are approximately similar to the
benefits of eliminating the grading system. The supportive comments are subjective and highly
vague. Therefore, grading should be abolished.

3A GRADING SYSTEM
References:
Brookhart, S.M., Guskey, T.R., Bowers, A.J., McMillan, J.H., Smith, J.K., Smith, L.F., Stevens,
M.T. and Welsh, M.E., 2016. A century of grading research: Meaning and value in the most
common educational measure. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), pp.803-848.
Valenzuela, J.P., Bellei, C. and Ríos, D.D.L., 2014. Socioeconomic school segregation in a
market-oriented educational system. The case of Chile. Journal of education Policy, 29(2),
pp.217-241.