Week 8 Response

The evaluation and grading scale in BC schools has undergone significant changes and advancements over the past decade, with a focus on individual student performance and learning rather than a standardized letter grade. Stommel (2020) asserts that grades are the most pervasive and detrimental obstacle to education and present a challenge to critical pedagogy. In my view, grading and evaluation have a limited role in education as they merely contribute to the learning process without encompassing the entirety of the learning outcomes. Stommel further highlights that teachers and institutions often preconceive outcomes before students even begin their educational journey (Stommel, 2020). As educators, we are also expected to predict what students will gain from the course as we design our unit and lesson plans. While it is true that we require a list of learning activities to achieve educational objectives, the way students absorb and adapt the information can vary significantly. Therefore, assessments and grading can only determine whether the lesson goals were covered and completed in class. At times, educators may be unable to ascertain whether the learning materials enable students to develop critical thinking skills independently.

During my early education in China, the grading system was highly demanding from the moment a child embarked on their educational journey. Even in preschool and kindergarten, I was already exposed to competitive learning subjects such as mathematics and writing, with evaluations conducted. However, grading was not introduced until elementary school, where individual students' grades determined their seating arrangements in class. In China, the academic system heavily emphasizes knowledge acquisition, often at the expense of creativity and critical thinking abilities. Students are expected to determine their lifelong goals and occupations as they prepare for the gaokao examination at the end of their senior high school years. Gaokao is a highly consequential summative assessment that determines students' options for post-secondary education, encompassing all their learning efforts throughout three years of senior high school. Nonetheless, the grading system in China is purely numerical, imposing various limitations on students' possibilities, as "China's university acceptance system has come under attack from a variety of fronts in recent years" (Siegel, 2007).

The questions raised by Stommel at the end of the article prompt educators to reconsider evaluation within a more intricate context. "Why do we grade? How does it feel to be graded?" (Stommel, 2020). To me, grading represents a mark of completion rather than true learning. It is a standardized evaluation perpetuated by the capitalist system to ensure that all learners are assigned a label for their success in a class. Being graded can evoke anxiety or anticipation among individuals. When rubrics and assessment details are provided to students, they often develop self-awareness about their grades. Unfortunately, grading does not always serve as an encouraging tool to foster critical thinking skills. As an educator, I believe it is crucial to incorporate alternative assessment approaches or ungrading that enable both the teacher and the student to engage in collaborative learning.

Reference:

Stommel, J. (2018, March 11). How to ungrade. Jesse Stommel. https://www.jessestommel.com/how-to-ungrade/

Siegel, B. (2007, June 12). Stressful Times for Chinese Students. Stressful times for Chinese students - time. https://web.archive.org/web/20070716112804/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1631854,00.html