The role of the letter grade as gatekeeper is yet another reason I am looking for something better.
At the end of my honors 9th grade math class today, one of my students asked me about moving up next year to the accelerated 10th grade math course (yes, we have a level above "honors"). This student, let's call him Ricardo, is a new 9th grader, that is, he was not in my school's 8th grade last year (my school is an independent K-12 school). He spoke of how when the year began, he felt mostly lost because the math curriculum at his last school was far behind ours. So, he explained, though he began the year in the C+/B- realm, his grades have steadily improved and so has his confidence and understanding of the material.
I agree with Ricardo's assessment 100%. However, his semester grade was a B and he earned a B on the semester exam. Our criteria for a student moving from the honors course to the accelerated course is a 95% and a student ought to have earned that without extraordinary effort. Essentially, for the student who wants to move up, the honors course should be easy.
At this point, it does seem like Ricardo is understanding the newer topics with more ease than was the case in the first quarter. In fact, his level of performance at the moment might be at the necessary level for the move he wants to make. But, is that enough? From a pedagogical point of view, if he shows a mastery of the course throughout the second semester, should that make up for his difficulties in the first semester? As the topics in the course build off of each other, should he show such a mastery in the second semester, it would show that he has now mastered the first semester topics, too.
However, from the grade's perspective, it may be too little too late (to use a boring cliche). His semester "average" was an 85. Thus, even if his average in the second semester is 100, he would average 92.5 for the year. He would fall short of the 95 benchmark. And, from his own admission, the first semester was not easy for him.
How much importance should really be put on that grade?
I do think our school is flexible enough to look beyond the letter grade and take the student's full performance into consideration. Also, the student could potentially make the move from honors to accelerated between the 10th and 11th grade year.
That's only one small example of how letter grades serve as keys to opening doors in education. The "best" example of this role of the letter grade is college admissions. Ricardo probably sees getting an A in honors math as not enough. Instead, he wants to get an A in accelerated math so that he can say he took the most rigorous courses at our school to impress colleges.
Do you see what I see? If this is Ricardo's thinking (or his parents' thinking), Ricardo is treating his math courses as steps on the way to college. The content of the courses is of no relevance. All that matters is that he does well in the hardest classes. Does he enjoy math? Does it spark his imagination? Does he explore topics in math in greater depth in ways that are not graded? Maybe, but the system does nothing... NOTHING... to promote this love of learning.
you rock babe!
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