Practice 5 • Pass/Fail Grading System
Your professor is teaching a class on educational psychology.
In your response, you should do the following:
- Express and support your opinion.
- Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.
- An effective response will contain at least 100 words.
Professor Nakamura
Some schools have considered replacing traditional letter grades with a pass/fail system to reduce student stress and competition. Supporters argue that this change would allow students to focus more on learning rather than grades, while critics argue that letter grades motivate students to work harder and give a clearer picture of performance to colleges. Should schools replace traditional letter grades with a pass/fail system? Why do you think so?
Noah
I think schools should switch to pass/fail grading. Many students experience high levels of anxiety trying to maintain a perfect GPA, which can actually get in the way of real learning. Without the pressure of exact grades, students might feel more comfortable taking challenging courses instead of avoiding them out of fear of a low grade.
Lucy
I disagree. Letter grades give students clear feedback about their strengths and weaknesses in a subject, which pass/fail systems don't provide. Colleges and employers also rely on grades to compare applicants fairly. Without letter grades, some students might put in less effort, since passing usually requires a much lower standard than earning a high grade.
Nothing is uploaded — this downloads your response as a .txt file to your computer.