Abolishing Grades Essay

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Abolishing Grades Grades are one of the realities of the modern educational system. Yet, the question whether colleges and universities should abolish grades has been an issue that concerns a lot of scholars. At the beginning of his essay “A Proposal to Abolish Grades”, Paul Goodman suggests that if half a dozen prestigious universities would do away with grading, the education students get will improve and more and more universities would remove grades from their assessments. Goodman concedes that testing cannot be avoided; its purpose should be viewed differently though from being a mere examination that discovers the students’ weaknesses to actually allowing students to seek their level of knowledge. “ For the important purpose of placement, if one can establish in the student that belief that one is testing not to grade and make invidious comparisons, but for his own advantage, the student should normally seek his own level, where he is challenged and yet capable, rather than trying to get by” (Goodman 21). In this aspect Goodman considers grading a bad tool of assessment since it prevents meaningful teaching as well as genuine learning. However, Goodman’s proposal to abolish grades is unrealistic since grades motivate and encourage students to study harder; grades inform both the teacher and the students about what has or has not been learned, and also grades are used by future employers as a measure of a person’s ability to work hard, to withstand pressure and stress. In today’s highly competitive world, having good grades is a valuable asset. Knowing that at the end of a course, if you apply yourself, you get an A that will get you closer to your next step in your career is a motivating force that carries you through college. An "A" usually encourages students to continue studying. If grades are abolished, what motivation do students have

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