I have been thinking a lot about letter grades and motivation, and Sunday’s @bcedchat on report cards really got me questioning some of my experiences and resulting views. The session’s topic moderator @brynmw was encouraging me to share this journey, and I figure it is time to organize and share them.

Sometimes I think I am entering the teaching profession in a time of great change, where report cards are debated, curriculum is evolving, and technology is being integrated into classes. However, I’m sure the system has probably always been in flux, with educators, policy makers, parents and students all advocating for what they believe will create a better education.

What I can speak to though, is the transition I have experienced in my education, and the questioning it has led me to on the topic of letter grades. Passing through the public education system I received letter grades from grades four to twelve.

When letter grades first started appearing on report cards I remember a close friend getting straight A’s. The reason I remember it so clearly was because my dad gave her a package of licorice and told her “Great work.” Being a young child I associated it as a cause and effect relationship, and felt jealous and ashamed of not achieving the same level. In reality, my dad would always give us licorice when he came to pick me up. But for me, an association had been made that I was worse than someone else and my dad knew it.

I also distinctly remember as a child receiving, what I perceived to be, a low letter grade in PE and consequently thinking I was not good at it. I definitely wasn’t one of the most coordinated or brave students when balls were flying around, but for me to think I was not sufficient at being active was far from the truth. I spent afternoons playing outside, climbing trees, and walking the trails of the forest or the shores of the beach. I was also in a gymnastics club and on a swim team. I remember disliking PE because it was something I thought I was not good at and I was embarrassed about that.

When high school began and the honour roll was introduced I began to strive for higher grades. Extrinsic grade-based motivation? Certainly. But where did that previously come from, and what was it leading to? In high school there was definitely the push to achieve if you wanted scholarships and to get into university. In the end, I truly believe I was awarded at graduation on more than just the merit of my grades, but also from my extra-curricular activities with the school in sports and leadership. The university I was accepted to, however? All they needed to see were my percentages for entry.

Now, here I am in a time of personal change in my education. I am now in a program without grades, based on a pass or fail system. What does this mean? Well, it states that the cut off for a pass is 76%. Because of this, some professors have given us percentages. Last term I received “82% – pass” on a group presentation. In another course the rubric has a column of the assignment requirements and then three columns headed by a “-“, “check mark”, and “**”, but there is no explanation on the difference between the check and the two stars. Do I understand exactly what my prof meant in these markings? Not often. I received all checks and wondered what it would take to get a double star.

Also, now where does my motivation come? I will be completely honest – I miss being tested and graded. I miss that challenge of regurgitating course material. I could “prove” my “learning” then, but if you handed me one of the Biology exams from my undergrad now I’m not sure I could even pass it, because information wasn’t retained. I’m not sure if letter grades are just naturally how I am motivated, or if this motivation is a result of how I was educated. Now, when I complete an assignment it’s hard to know where to draw the line at “good enough.” I know when I’ve achieved a pass and theoretically could stop. If I were going to be receiving a grade, however, I wouldn’t stop. The difficulty lies in where and when to stop. I could go on forever but I question if my prof will know the difference. Now I have to decide what is more important to me: continuing to work on an assignment, or doing something for myself such as exercising or spending time with a friend. Before, I feel the amount of work I put in to something was related to my quest for a high grade, but now the battle of motivation is solely mine because only I know if I have done my best.

As a student teacher I have yet to assign letter grades to students, so I can hardly begin to understand what effect this has. However, based on my experiences, if we are to stop using letter grades at the elementary level there are two attitudes that need to change. First of all, students themselves need to seek intrinsic motivation for learning, and hold a personal standard of how hard they will work at learning. Secondly, educators will need to really think how they will express their understanding of their students’ learning, and be able to clearly articulate it to both students and parents. I’m not sure removing letter grades is a quick fix solution. Instead, a lot of time and focus will be required to put an effective letter grade-free system into place. But perhaps it’s worth the time and focus…

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