Grades!

Yesterday in ROGATE we had a very in-depth discussion about grades.  We were asked what is the purpose of grades?  What is our opinion on the grading system?  Do we think that the current system accurately represents our skills and knowledge?  Do we think that we should stick with the current grading system, switch to standards based grading, or use a combination of the two?
     First of all, what are standards based grades?  This is a grading system based on previously set standards.  We take the test, and it is graded based on where the educators think we are when compared with where we should be.  Standards based grading tells us where we are compared to the highest standard.  I think everyone knows what the current system of numbers and letters is.
     So what is the purpose of grades?  I think that the purpose of grades is to tell you where you are on a set scale.  A means you are already there and you fully grasp the subject.  B means you are there but there is room for improvement.  C means you are just barely there and you can do the bare minumum.  D means you seriously need to work on the subject, and F means you epically failed and have no idea what you are doing.  So there it is.  Grades tell you where you are and where you can improve.  Finally, they give you something to strive for.  The other side to that is that if you don't see the actual test, you have no idea what to improve on.  For example, you can see your grades in Powerschool, but you don't know exactly what you got right or exactly what you got wrong.   
     My opinion of our current grading system is that it is just fine.  It tells us exactly what we did wrong, and exactly what we did right.  the problem with standards based grading is that you either meet or don't meet the standard.  You never know exactly what you did wrong or right, so you can never improve on exactly what needs improving.
     I think that the current system accurately represents your level of skills and knowledge because it tells you exactly where you are on a one hundred point scale.  Standards based grading does not do this.  For example, when you get your NJ ASK scores back, it gives you a little dash on a scale.  This does not tell you exactly where your skills and knowledge are, it tells you of you are advanced, proficient, or partly proficient.  You never get an exact percentage of what you did right.
     I think we should stay with the current grading system because it is the most accurate and grades you on what you individually did wrong and right.  This is the only way you will improve.
     In conclusion, standards based grading is a grading system that grades you on previously set standards.  The purpose of grades is to tell you where you are on a set scale.  Grades tell you whether or not you grasp the subject, what you know, and what you need to improve on.  Our current grading system works because it accurately represents our skills and knowledge.  Finally, we should stick with our current grading system.