Brandi J. Clark

Writer and Educator

Do Grades Matter?


It’s standardized testing season in our district. You know those tests that don’t mean anything but mean everything..

While planning with a teacher she mentioned the book
Report Card by Andrew Clements
The basic synopsis: a gifted child, hides her “giftedness” at school and at home to prove that grades don’t matter.

Last night I dreamt I was taking a course where the marks were given online…not just mine but everyone else’s, was there to see and compare.

Grades did matter in my dream.

In my dream, it mattered that the highest mark was not my own.

It mattered who got the lowest.

It mattered how many other students did better than me.

BUT…Grades don’t matter in the way we would like to think.

They don’t make us learn something better.

They don’t always reflect what we know.

They don’t tell us how to do better.

They don’t really tell us what we do well.

So…do grades matter?..they matter to some.
But…should grades matter?…depends who you ask.
Who is the sheriff of grades? and Where can I get a hold of him?

Until Next Time,

Lit Maven out!

Join TheLitMaven
http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheLitMaven

About Brandi Clark

2 Replies

  1. Okay, so I do the same thing. Didn’t you wonder who got the best grade in 544? Or the worst, or where we fit in the continuum?

  2. Totally!!!! It should have no bearing but the fact that we are graded, grades become everything. If it had been gradeless do you think you would have had an easier or worse time?