More Than a Letter: How Grades Affect Students
By Kyra C. & Kaylee C-U
For many students, grades count for much more than what goes on a report card. Grades affect a student's confidence, their mental health and their lives outside of school. Even though the grading system is meant to measure a student's progress with learning, many students believe it doesn’t account for differences in learning styles, individual struggles, and the actual effort that they put into the work they do. As concerns about academic pressures continue, questions about whether or not traditional grading systems accurately represent students' abilities increase.
Grades are meant to show how well students are understanding what they’re learning, but they can also create pressure outside of the classroom. For some students, the fear of receiving a low grade is overwhelming, especially when they're trying their best. Sophomore B Y. shares that they threw up because they were so anxious about the grades they’d get from midterms. Their experience shows that all of the pressure that comes from grades affects students other than simply scoring their work. Regan C., a Junior also describes how grades “put stress in situations where stress is not needed.” When students are more focused on consequences of grades rather than the content they're learning, school becomes a huge source of anxiety rather than a chance to grow.
A student's grades may not fully represent their intelligence, effort or understanding. Because students learn differently, assignments that are like chores don’t work for everyone. Sophomore B Y., explained that “school makes me feel dumb, and the way they do things isn't the way my brain works, so it makes me just look like I don't understand things,” highlighting how grades don’t reflect a student's real abilities. A 2024 article from the University of the People, highlighted the issue with grading when, “what one teacher would score as an A, another could consider a B,” proving that not only does it depend on the teacher who grades but also the
traditional system. When grades become the main measure of success, individual strengths get overlooked.
Because grades have become the main measure of success, they can affect a student's confidence, and make a student feel like their grade is a representation of their value to themselves and the world around them. “Comparing oneself to peers who seem to be achieving higher grades can exacerbate perceptions of inadequacy and low self-worth.” A recent BetterHelp article claims. A majority of MRHS students agree that either they personally feel like their grades define them, and know others who feel the same. Junior
Carson R. agrees that “because of how the grading system is now, you’re stressing about getting good grades for someone else”
The strain on earning higher grades makes students focus more on deadlines and how they’ll be scored. Instead of understanding the material, students are focused on how the assignments will affect their final grade. Sophomore Asher K. agrees, contending that “make grades more about learning the content, not just throwing it at you.” This change can help the student body feel more focused on the learning, not the deadline.
Grades may be a common way to measure academic progress, but they don’t tell the whole story of a student's potential, abilities or struggles. It’s "not just what can you offer this world, but more, what can you offer yourself?” Sophomore B Y. explains. Because these concerns are so present, schools should think about making the learning actually about learning. After all, students are more than just a letter on a report card.
