×

Mr. Jenkins and the quest for the holy grade

Most of us, myself included, are guilty of asking our children a variation on these questions: “What grade did you get?” or “How are your grades?” We ask these questions because we are trying to measure the learning/achievement of our kids. However, what do you really know about grades? As a teacher, I struggle with grading and started to do some research. I realized that I was quite ignorant about grades. The more I studied, the more questions I came up with: Why do we grade? When did we start doing this? Why do we grade on an A, B, C, D, F scale? What does a grade really mean? What should it mean?

As I’ve talked with students, teachers and parents over the years, I’ve realized that most of us don’t have answers for these questions, yet the grade remains an almost holy symbol of our intelligence and, for some, worth. Over the next few weeks, I am pleased to welcome you on a journey with me. This quest is to answer questions and uncover the mystery behind the holy grade.

We begin our journey of discovery in the history of the grade. Previous to the 1700s, there was no grading. Those that attended school were mentored by their teachers, though it’s important to note that class sizes would be more in the 5-10 range than in the typical 20+. All communication was direct between teacher and student and parents were more available to be involved in the educational process. It should be noted that at this time, school was more for the wealthy and upper class, as the lower class had to work to stay alive.

As the Industrial Revolution began to change the landscape of the developed world, education became more and more important. In the 1850s, there were approximately 500 students enrolled in public high schools. By 1910, that had grown to over 10,000. As school enrollment continued to grow, there was a push to evaluate students and it was found that the way teachers evaluated student learning differed greatly from one teacher to the next. In order to standardize scores, the A, B, C, D, E, F grading system was created. Many colleges at the time were using a 4.0 scale for measuring academic achievement (4.0, 3.0, etc) and, in order to match up with colleges, the GPA was born. A came to symbolize a 4.0, B a 3.0, etc and E was dropped (some speculate to make the stigma of an F greater as it does not follow alphabetically and makes students feel out of place).

Schools began to be judged based upon the average grades their students were achieving and funding became attached. Soon, this funding became attached to standardized tests. The more A level students a school had, the more money and reputation they would receive. Because of this, teachers and administrators began to stress the importance of the grade and pushed students to believe that they needed an A to be able to achieve success in this world. This has become so engrained in our society that we say things like, “You better get all A’s or you won’t get into a good college,” and, “Do you want to work at McDonalds all your life?” as though the grade will determine the future of our children.

Please join me next week on our quest for the holy grade as we begin to deconstruct what a grade really means and what it really should mean.

(Jacob Jenkins is a teacher at Minot Public Schools – Central High School. He holds a B.S. in English Education, a B.A. in Theatre Arts, an M.A. in English, an M.A. in Secondary Educational Leadership, and is currently working on completing his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership K-12 through the University of North Dakota. The views and opinions expressed in this column do not represent the views and opinions of Minot Public Schools or of the Minot Daily News. If you would like to ask questions, suggest a topic to write on, or to contact Jacob Jenkins, please email him at: jjenkins@minotdailynews.com)

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today