Do we really need grades in elementary school?

One of my most lasting memories of first grade before I moved was getting an F on an assignment.  I think I hated that teacher from that moment on.  Maybe it was a pivotal moment in my childhood.  I always remember being a good student.  Possibly because I never wanted to see that grade again.  From time to time I did, but not very often.  From the sound of it, getting grades had the affect it was supposed to...it motivated me to do better.  But it also made me hate a teacher.  And it had another side affect.  If I thought I could not do well on something challenging, I took the easy way out.  I did not take risks with projects.  I got very stressed when I was struggling.  It did not make me a better student in those moments, it just caused anxiety.  I wonder what would have happened had I been encouraged and helped along in my education without grades.  Sure, I had a self-motivation to do well and have the teacher happy with me.  I was the type that was afraid of being in trouble.  And a bad grade was like being in trouble.  I did not take on anything challenging.  I just did what was supposed to be done.  I was never taught to work hard to achieve something.  What I did was always good enough for good grades.  I was never taught that it was ok to fail.

Could that one single event in my childhood along with a fear of doing something wrong have shaped where I am today? Possibly.  I wonder what would have happened if my learning environment had been focused on learning and exploring, where mistakes were normal and an opportunity to learn.  Where perfection was not rewarded with the highest honors and failure was not seen as ruining my future.  I can't say that at some point grades would not be important.  After all, it is probably unreasonable for a school to write a progress report on each student for each subject and expect a university to read it.  But early on, when kids are learning the foundations, does it serve a purpose or hurt the child?  Are grades really appropriate for elementary kids?

Could it be possible to take a different approach in the schools where kids learn at their own pace through fifth or sixth grade?  Are we able to create a nurturing and supportive atmosphere that does not shame kids who are behind but instead supports them?  What about an environment that allows them to be curious without fear of being embarrassed for feeling less than everyone else.  An environment that allows advanced students to keep advancing...but not just to the next workbook.  What if they were able to create their own projects in class.  They would be able to include other students where any child interested in the topic can contribute a little or a lot.  There are no grades, so all contributions can be seen as adding to something small without other group members developing resentment for workload being uneven.  Parents would not have to give a big helping hand to ensure a good grade because projects would be done in school.  And at the end of the school year (or for parent/teacher conferences), parents can see all things their kids were a part of.

Is it possible to set up an environment of cooperation instead of competition?  When kids interact with older and younger kids rather than all just the same age, cooperation comes naturally.  When only same age kids are all together, it creates competition. If groups are mixed ages like they are at the Sudbury Valley School, it might make for a rich and diverse learning environment.  Maybe we can focus on building good citizenship and good character instead of teaching skills that can be learned at any age so we can "beat the competition" and appear smarter than other countries.  When kids are ready to advance to the higher grades, we can base the decision to promote based on the opinion of the teachers he or she has worked with for the last five years.  While I would hate for teachers to be encouraged to "teach to the test," we might also consider an un-timed skills test in math, reading, and writing skills to make sure they are prepared to keep up in the upper grades. 

If we accepted the premise that kids learn the skills they need but at different rates and tend to be caught up around 5th or 6th grade, and that they need to reach a level of maturity before diving deeply into the subjects schools want kids to learn, maybe we would have more positive attitudes about school.  Maybe kids would not be dropping out in kindergarten. Maybe we would have developed our natural curiosities.  Maybe we would have kids that are willing to take on challenges and take risks in their learning.

In a country where families are spreading out, broken up, or too busy working 2 jobs to make ends meet, the little bit of time they do have together needs to be valued.  Rather than daily fights about homework and kids getting punished for not performing, families might just make more time to enjoy each other and build relationships.  Kids might actually want to share what they did at school that day.  Those strong relationships will be crucial going into the teen years when kids are trying to discover who they want to be as an adult and who they can trust to be there for them when everything else feels like it is falling apart.  

 

As kids get older, maybe there is a completely different way to approach grading.  Some schools systems have already implemented standards based grading with success.  If we are unable to let go of the idea of giving grades all together, this might be a good way to go.  However, there is research out there that shows grades can have quite a negative effect.  You can read more about Alfie Kohn and the books he has written on this and related topics.

As a homeschooling mom, I have never given my son grades.  I know where he is at by simple observation.  He does not need a grade to prove anything, so I don't assign them.  While I currently take a different approach through unschooling where grading would be unheard of, I know many are unable to do this or must put their children in school.  Schools do not have to stay the way they are.  We can pull together as a community and insist on what we want for our kids.  Most schools do not currently operate in a way that is best for our children.  Tons of research has been done to show how people learn in a natural way.  Tons of anecdotal evidence (also here and here) shows kids learn what they need to when looked at over the course of twelve years.  And when they can do it on their own timetable, they maintain a love of learning and they learn in a more meaningful way.  They also tend to know themselves better, so when they go into the "real world" they are not discovering themselves for the first time and floundering.

I have come to the belief that from kindergarten to fifth or sixth grade, kids should be allowed to learn at their own pace.  And they should be able to learn about the things that fascinate them.  It often leads to following bunny trails about things they had no idea was connected to the original interest.  By 11 or 12 years, abilities for math, reading, and writing has typically reached the desired levels.  I believe that most kids will have mastered those foundational skills at their own pace and be as far along (or further) as if they followed a regimented schedule.  And they would not have developed a dislike or hatred for any of the subjects because it was not forced on them.  In addition, when they work on their own interests rather than everyone doing the same thing, there is less room to compare to others and more room to focus on personal growth.  With freedom to be curious and explore without a lot of stifling, mundane assignments that determine our worth based on the grade received, we may just be surprised at what even the most unlikely of students will learn.

What were your experiences with grades growing up?  If you have kids now, do grades seem to have a positive or negative affect...or is it too soon to tell?