During spring semester, countless universities shifted from letter grades to a pass/fail system in order to support students. Many K-12 school districts followed suit, tossing out letter grades and opting to simply make sure their students were safe and learning as best they could under the circumstances.
In May, The Ohio State University passed a measure that allowed students to take their courses as pass/fail.
“We are offering this flexibility because coronavirus (COVID-19) has forced such massive adjustments in all of our lives,” Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce A. McPheron said in a press release. “I am proud that the entire university community is working together to address these challenges, but we also recognize that some students face particular obstacles that would affect their grades.”
While the grading system has reverted back to its original A-F scoring, the temporary change brings up the question: Is it possible that schools will eventually eliminate traditional grading?
Jack Conrath, an OSU senior lecturer for Superintendents’ Licensure Program, is a big advocate for this change.
“I would be in favor of anything that takes us away from traditional grading,” he says. “The reality is, this grading system is a sorting system. There’s no place for it in public education.”
Conrath starting teaching in the 1960s and was told to grade from A-F on a bell-shaped curve. It didn’t matter if every kid excelled in his class, he had to sort them by rank. If he didn’t, he had to report to the principal’s office and explain why.
One method of grading students doesn’t seem realistic to Conrath, who makes the comparison to his years in teaching music, from banjo to guitar to mandolin.
“Anyone who thinks that, because something in education works for one child, it will work for every child has never taught music,” he says, laughing. “Each of my students is different. Some respond to listening to the music, some prefer to read notes, some require constant practice and some like freestyle.”
Not all parents and educators approve of such a flexible grading method. An opinion piece in The New York Times indicates activists for traditional grading are concerned that without A-F letter marks, students won’t receive the feedback they need to improve. Plus, many parents insist that high letter grades will give their high-achieving children an advantage in being accepted into colleges and offered jobs.
Still, some U.S. high schools have phased out the coveted positions of valedictorian and salutatorian. For example, William Mason High School in the Cincinnati suburbs announced in 2019 that the positions would be eradicated because of unhealthy competition among students.
State Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) quickly proposed a bill requiring high schools to name valedictorians and salutatorians.
Competition for valedictorian or salutatorian is “extremely stressful for kids,” Conrath says. “Some kids take it as a challenge and expectation; they think it’s the only way to demonstrate they’re a good person. Other kids thrive on that kind of motivation – it’s energy for them.”
He says it’s difficult to generalize because individual students are so different. He notes that while there is a high correlation between high school grades and college success, it’s not always the case. Conrath himself was one of the lowest-ranking students in his high school, and even flunked some college classes. However, once he understood his own motivation for achieving a Ph.D. and found teachers and leaders who accepted that he didn’t learn like everyone else, he was met with success.
Conrath welcomes the open discourse on the subject of grading.
“One thing I firmly believe is that state and national levels should not impose their belief systems on local communities,” Conrath says. “Let local school districts decide what their curriculum should be, based on the community culture and values.”
Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
