Assess Chapter 8

Abstract:
Chapter 8 focuses on the decision on whether you should grade or not in the classroom. On one hand grades seem necessary to track the progress and knowledge of a student but yet on the other you may think that there are other ways to track such things than a letter grade between A and F. The chapter addressed the issue of grading becoming an essential part of the educational system and how it is a good way to gauge a students understanding. Opponents’ to grades say that grades can have a negative impact on student who do not understand the material immediately and hence do not receive high grades. This can be discouraging for students and can lead them to give up where if there were no grades the only thing that would be important was whether the student learned the material or not.
Reflection:
Our group really felt that grades tend to be overrated but until a better method is developed to evaluate a student than grades will have to do. People tend to worry too much about grades and not enough about learning the material. That is the reason why students are in school is to learn not to remember for the test next week and than forget about it. Students can go all the way through high school and learn minimally and receive good grades nonetheless because they are not required to ever learn but yet to memorize. Our group feels that although grades are overrated when used productively they can be a great tool in assessing a students knowledge and progression through a unit, month, semester or school year.