Topic :
Most schools give their students grades based on their performance. Why do so many schools utilise this method of student evaluation? In what ways does this affect the students?
Answer :
Most students get their school performance evaluated by grades. I think this is a reasonable way to appreciate their work at school, because it is fair and it makes them see the progress. This method of measuring the grades of students has both positive and negative effects.
I think schools grade students by their academic performance because it is the most acceptable and simple way to rate them. There are formal standards for measuring the value of their performance, unlike vague comments left by teachers. This way, the grades are more objective and better grades are given to ones who tried harder to get them. If the grades were given by some other grounds, such as how the teacher thought about the student, or only by the rate of the presence at the classes, students who worked really hard would feel unfair about the result. Moreover, if there were no firm rules about giving grades to students, it would be a lot of work for teachers to evaluate them and let their parents know about how well their kids are doing at school.
Some people might argue that these figurized grades can affect the students negatively. Not to mention about the competitive environment it is going to cause, parents would give the children more pressure to get higher grades. Furthermore, there would be some students who feel exhausted from trying so hard, but not getting as good grades. This evaluation system does not reflect how diligent a student is, or how well he behaves at school. It only shows the academic achievement, so it might ruin the children, making them only focus on the outcome of the performance. However, there are also good qualities of measuring students’ grades by their performance, in that they can be motivated and set their own goal when it comes to academic performance. What is more, they can see the improvement they have made, and compare the ways of studying with the grades and see which is right for them. They can also be properly appreciated for their hard work and this will not only stimulate themselves but also their classmates. Without appropriate scoring, students might not feel the need to study hard and they will never know what it feels like to achieve something after putting their effort on it.
To sum up, scoring students based on their performance at school is a fair and reasonable way to grade them, because it gives a clear direction for students themselves, and teachers will not be questioned by the way they give the grades. This method of grading might cause competition between students, but it can also positively motivate them for a better academic achievement.
