Persuasive Essay
The idea of changing our grading system is a preposterous one. It is almost insane to alter a system set in stone—especially if the system has been successful since the beginning of its use. By making the line between students’ efforts even simpler and less intricate of a process, the distinction between “good” and “bad” students becomes too simple. Not only will students begin to feel more “average” as a whole, the self-image of the “better” students begins to drop tremendously. No longer are they recognized for their extra effort and dedication.
“Poorer” students begin to develop a false sense of achievement—this is dangerous. When these students go out into the “real’ world, they will see how mediocre their work truly was—and how much more this world demands from them in order to achieve quality. This brings us to our next issue—most other groups of society do not accept these standards either.
These standards do not fulfill the regular requirements of grading—standards used across the globe—and therefore these “new” systems are not valid. Colleges and high schools that students are required to apply for will not take the grades of these applicants, simply because they do not match the commonly used standards. Lastly, the point of changing these standards is to benefit students, correct? If we change these standards, we are only hurting our pupils. Lowering the bar for education is not acceptable. We lower our standards enough—America’s education system is not up to par when compared up against other competing countries.
By making it even easier to succeed, we create a false reality for students—one that is easily proven fake when stepping into the “real” world. We cannot afford to let our students slide like this for any longer. If anything, we need to toughen up our grading standards! By creating a new system in which we grade on a pass/fail basis, we are, in essence, lying to our students—and ourselves! – C. Sollitto