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Is Abandoning Letter Grades a Smart Move?
Updated: Dec. 26, 2015
Originally Published: April 15, 2015
In a unique twist on grading, a school in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY, has opted for a color-coded system instead of traditional letter grades. Students earn green when they’ve mastered a skill, yellow if they’re progressing but not quite there yet, and red when they’re just getting started or facing difficulties. If a child remains in the red throughout the year, they may not advance to the next grade, while a mix of greens and yellows suggests they’re on track.
It’s certainly a softer and more visually appealing approach, but is it truly better?
There are definitely hurdles to this new system, particularly when it comes to helping parents understand what it all means. The goal is to pinpoint where kids might be struggling in a more straightforward way, perhaps without the stress of failing grades or the stigma of a D. However, this raises some significant questions. How can you distinguish between a child who is excelling and one who is merely meeting expectations? What’s the range of that yellow? Wouldn’t a more detailed assessment be beneficial? And most importantly, how will these kids fare when they transition to higher education where letter grades are the norm, or when they enter the workforce and face performance evaluations?
One thing that seems sensible is assessing students on their skills rather than just their overall subjects. It’s not merely about how they perform in math; it’s a detailed evaluation that includes effort, understanding of concepts, computational abilities, problem-solving skills, and more. However, the clarity of letter grades, with their pluses and minuses, can get lost in the broader strokes of color coding.
When my kids were in kindergarten, their teacher implemented an engaging behavior management system. Each child had a “picture person,” which was essentially a popsicle stick with a cut-out photo of their head on top. They all started on green, and misbehavior would move them to yellow or, if it persisted, red, resulting in some loss of privileges or even a call home in extreme cases. We’d discuss their picture people at dinner, and it was interesting to see who consistently moved to yellow or stayed on green. Fortunately, none of them ever landed in red, as they had ample warning to correct their behavior beforehand.
I’m uncertain whether this same system can effectively apply to academics. This color-coded grading is being introduced in schools nationwide, primarily at the elementary level. Whether it will extend to middle and high schools remains to be seen, along with how it impacts students who are used to simply achieving green and calling it a day.
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In summary, while a shift away from letter grades to a color-coded system may seem appealing, it comes with its own set of challenges and unanswered questions, particularly regarding clarity and long-term implications for students in higher education and the workforce.