Education is one of the key elements in determining the progress of any state. Almost around the world, to appraise the value of education given, the use of academic grades is undertaken. The academic grade is a system employed to examine the students after educating them and test their skills on that knowledge. It has been a universally accepted method and is present almost around the world. Yet, in recent decades, there has been criticism against the use of academic grades on the prediction that is an ineffective method of examining students and should be done away with. This criticism has gained further momentum and multiple studies have been put forward related to the system of academic grades. Nevertheless, the system of academic grades has many purposes and many valuable elements. There is no doubt that the system should be made more effective and upgraded to the changing needs, but it doesn’t mean that system as a whole should be halted. The essay will argue over the purposes of the academic grades and their value in the current educational system.
Firstly, the purpose of the grades is to indicate the student’s performance, school, or any other educational institution. It is the system of grades that gives knowledge about the performance of the student. Besides this, at a broader level, they also tell about the performance of any educational institution. So, this is the purpose of the grades. What is the importance of it? The performance indicator of any school or college serves as a touchstone for a parent to rate any educational institution. It allows parents or guardians to select the most appropriate school for their parents to give them effective education. Without the availability of the performance indicators, it is highly improbable that parents may rate school or college and find out the best educational institution for their children. So, the system of academic grades makes their task easier and allows students to select the best educational institutions.
In addition to this, it has another advantage which is also very crucial and important. This is related to students. Academic grades act as a major incentive for the student to improve its performance. It can be said that it encourages students to work more and improve their grades. The distinction of getting higher grades to act as a catalyst and stimulator for them to work more and excel in life. It has been a general rule that humans want praise for their work or any reward. Such rewards further motivate them to get on with their work. The academic grades exactly do that in this educational system. It acts as a stimulator for the students. Here, it can be argued that sometimes it leads to depression and suicide among students as they fail to get their desired result. It must be mentioned that it is the failure of the ineffective counseling of the students and less to do with the system of academic grades. Sometimes they undertake such ventures because they have been forced by their parents or societal conditions to take such grades at any cost. In the case of failure, the response to the threat of backlash from the parents and society and fear of humiliation forces them to take such dreadful tasks. So, blaming academic grades will fail to overlook the broader and long-term challenges that accompanied it.
The grades also provide advantages to those who belong to lower-income strata of society. It is especially helpful for poor people who have scarce resources to continue their education. For instance, take the case of scholarships and stipends. Those who obtain these scholarships free education or their expenses have been lowered. So, in many cases, students who are financially poor manage to get educational scholarships due to the grading system. It is good grades that make them eligible for such scholarships. In fact, it has been an important source for them to improve their educational prospects and continue with their education. Without this, it would have been very difficult to judge efficient and needy students and reward them with scholarships.
Its other purpose is to assess the learning outcomes of students and see whether they have acquired the required abilities and skills. It acts as a standard on which students are judged and promoted to the next class. It serves to notify that students have achieved a certain level of knowledge and abilities and now they can be transferred to another class. Without it, it would be very difficult to place students on a particular level and then judge from that perspective.
In addition to advantages at educational institutions, the grading system has its own value in practical life or when education is completed. The market takes employees based on their grades and skills acquired in a particular field. Good grades mean that people who worked hard will earn a good job and excel in life. It ensures that the right people and having high credibility are selected for the job. It allows meritocracy to flourish rather than nepotism and cronyism. Moreover, it creates a competitive environment where people strive to excel on the basis of their abilities rather than back-handed measures. Ergo, the positive effects of the grading influence the practical life of a person and pave the way for more competent persons to excel and earn a distinction.
References:- “The Importance of Grades.”
- “5 Reasons Why Grades Are Important.”
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