The impact of Grades

["Anton O. Tolman, Ph.D." <ANTON@wsh.state.wy.us>]

Following Jim's message, I reviewed my message below and felt that it was
directly in line with the aim of the DEN and so am re-sending.....

Dr. Purchase wrote:

> So, I am simply trying to suggest that there is alternative knowledge.  Evaluation is a body of
> theory and philosophy of which assessing the quality of performance is a part and of which
> signifying the level of quality is a part.  The last is grading.   Grading provides information upon
> which to base a prediction.  (SNIP)
>
> Perhaps Dr. Deming recognised that he was not a good grader (although I can't imagine that) and
> chose not to grade.  That leaves the question,  however,  what alternative to grading did he use
> that did provide information about the quality of performance for the student and others by which
> predictions of future performance might be made?

With all respect, John, I think you are missing a critical point here.  I
realize that in his book, Deming described a concern about prediction; I
think as Wayne Mack has pointed out, that he was concerned with *individual*
prediction not prediction as a group.  However, the larger point is the
emotional impact of grades.  Grading, by its very nature, shapes student
behavior.  Students who want to succeed "work for the grade."  They
deliberate shape what they study and how they study in order to do well on
the tests the teachers gives -- sometimes they learn along the way, sometimes
they do not.  Those students who feel offended, rejected, hopeless *because
of the grading system's effect on them over time* often give up trying to
succeed in the grading system and instead try to hang on and survive.  Some
even give up on that.  Take a room of adults or recent high school graduates,
even those who did relatively well and ask them how many of them are excited
about learning, about continuing to learn into the future -- you will be
saddened by the results.  This, IMHO, was Deming's biggest point about grades
and education -- if we put aside the issue of prediction or "society's"
desire to have educated graduates, the largest reason for eliminating grades
is precisely because it is a significant part of the inexorable emotional
destruction and poisoning of learning that occurs with our youth.

It is becoming more widely acknowledged that we cannot even imagine the types
of materials and content that students will need in the future given the
speed of change.  Thus, the emphasis MUST be placed back on how to improve
learning and how to improve the excitement and joy in learning -- grades WILL
NOT accomplish this for us.  If we cannot find a better way, they will
continue to grind kids down.  The real advantage that Myron's methods have is
that they actively involve the student in his/her own learning -- the student
becomes invested in gaining capabilities and skills.  That is a significant
departure from the normal impact of grades and is the direction we need to
travel.

I acknowledge that some of the comments about the "reality" of the system in
terms of how colleges review applicants, etc. are accurate.  Colleges would b
challenged to find new ways to sort applicants, but isn't that exactly what we
are hoping to provoke?  I say "damn the torpedos and full speed ahead"
(actually someone else more famous said it first).  Isn't our goal to improve
the system, to transform the system?  We can't get there, folks, by
continuing to support and emphasize grades......

I fully agree with Wayne that we need to spend more time on improving
learning than on arguing about grades.

Anton Tolman, PhD, CPHQ, Psychological Services Manager &
Quality Management Coordinator, Wyoming State Hospital
P.O. Box 177, Evanston, WY  82931-0177
Anton@wsh.state.wy.us    (307) 789-3464
"All great things are done for their own sake."   -- Robert Frost
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