Different Experiences

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With tests, quizzes, and assignments should the focus be on learning or grades?

Jen Rubino from the Huffington Post, discusses her own personal experience dealing with grades and learning. Realizing that many times she found herself being more consumed when grades come into question, rather than learning. Especially during her junior year of high school. When given projects she would just study the necessary content in order to receive an A grade. In following months she made a decision, to go more in depth when researching or studying generally for any tests,quizzes, or assignments. No matter the grade, she continued to be focused on learning the actual material. When focusing on learning she noticed she actually did better generally in most of her classes.

Chris Crouch from the Huffington Post, discusses that not only students rely on grades, but parents do too in order to determine their children's success in school. It’s automatically assumed that if the grade isn't high, then the child’s parents won’t be happy with the outcome. Parents and students sometimes both are more consumed about the raw grades rather than checking if the actual understanding is present pertaining to the material. To see a change, students must change the focus from grades to learning. They should make sure to understand the material thoroughly, and if not they should make an effort to come in and get the necessary help.

According to Emanuella Grinberg from CNN, many schools are discontinuing the trend of traditional report cards and opting for a more descriptive representation of each students individual work. On the other hand in Oregon, a law was passed to make it possible that letters and numbers can be used to express students academic progress. The grade wouldn't be determined by tardiness on school work or in class behavior. More times grades don't actually reflect students overall progress. With penalties for late work, the assignment can sometimes go as low as half credit. Which can have a large impact, on overall grades if the percentage of the assignments are large.

Many students are faced weekly with different quizzes and test for a variety of classes. Overloaded with homework, on top of that unfinished classwork. According to Katie Pisa from CNN, life can change completely from what we students once knew it as. Project based learning is the new wave in many states. Instead of traditional class learning, we can see an overall progression academically with students. It wouldn't be about grades, the overall focus would be on creativity and the project not being cliche. Class would be less stressful for many students, creating a change in the overall way students view school.