The grading system utilized by most educational institutions in the US is rigid. All learners get their knowledge and efforts evaluated by letters from junior school to the last course in college. They work hard to maintain high GPAs and are sure the transcripts from their educational institutions define their future success. Unfortunately, there are a lot of concerns about the grading method in the US.
Many people are sure that the system is too standardized to evaluate the individual talent of every learner. Also, chasing high grades reduces the students’ curiosity to learn new skills and explore the world. Consequently, a lot of educational institutions decided to get rid of the conventional grading system. Alternatively, they use distinctive approaches in evaluating the skills learned by students. Scroll down below and read about the top educational institutions when learners don’t get regular grades.
Evergreen State College
The college’s administration is sure that simple letters cannot describe the potential of learners. They think that conventional grades minimize all the efforts students apply while studying at college. Therefore, undergraduates don’t get As, Bs, or other letters when their homework and tests are evaluated. Instead, tutors provide narrative evaluations to describe the academic success of students. The grades learners get there are similar to recommendation letters. However, teachers share trustworthy information about the efforts that students apply and the skills they learn. Besides, they describe the key strengths and abilities of learners.
The Evergreen State College administration reports that their system helps lower stress. For instance, when students get low grades, they lose enthusiasm to learn new skills. Also, they have to work hard to boost their GPAs. It results in sleepless nights that learners spend trying to grasp as much as possible to pass tests successfully or create top-tier assignments. However, when learners are not focused on earning high grades only, they keep a high level of curiosity to education. Consequently, they learn more and achieve better academic results.
Hampshire College
It is a college that does not force students to learn hard by sharing low grades when they cannot grasp new material. Instead, undergraduates receive feedback from their tutors. The comments can praise learners for showcasing a high level of knowledge in a particular area. Also, they can contain negative feedback that highlights the poor quality of submitted papers. However, unlike letters that merely define the low quality of assignments, the comments of tutors at Hampshire College contain constructive feedback. It helps scholars focus on their weak sides and pay closer attention to them when composing new academic papers. Also, students at the college are free to pick courses and subjects they want to study.
Consequently, they don’t surf the Internet to find an answer to the question, “Where can I check some real scamfighter reviews?” to get rid of burdening assignments on subjects that don’t match their majors. Since they are free to choose what they want to learn, students keep a high level of curiosity that helps them learn quickly. In essence, it results in great academic achievements.
Reed College
At this college, the administration is also concerned about the negative effect of grades on students’ enthusiasm to learn new skills. Worth noting, the college uses conventional grades to evaluate the knowledge. However, they never share them, even after graduation or upon a request. All the grades that undergraduates earn are stored by the college and are never revealed. The administration reports that the grades are used as factors that help gauge the success of their educational model.
Students never get traditional grades while studying at college. Tutors want them to focus on learning but not on their scores. Nevertheless, students are still required to pass tests and submit assignments. However, when they receive their papers, there are no grades affixed. Instead, according to the college’s policy, the papers imply lengthy comments that highlight the mistakes conducted by learners. Since there are no parameters that score students’ success, there is no dean’s list in the college.
Antioch University
Like all the educational institutions from the list above, the administration of this college also doesn’t consider conventional grades the best solution to evaluate students’ success. On the contrary, they focus on personal assessments of the assignments that undergraduates submit. Tutors review the papers they receive and share frank feedback highlighting their assignments’ strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, the success is not measured by the comments shared by tutors. Instead, faculty members and undergraduates create contracts that outline the primary goals that should be achieved during a particular time frame.
Consequently, students are focused on attaining major goals but not keeping their GPAs high. These days, a lot of educational institutions get rid of the conventional grading system. They think that it’s impossible to evaluate the skills learned by scholars by using standardized tests and letters. On the contrary, colleges that don’t give traditional grades focus on providing personalized feedback to students, which helps achieve better academic performance.
