When you walk into almost any high school, the weight of grades immediately fills the air. Whispers from students about GPA or grades on Frontline are everywhere, often backed by the belief that their success is shown through numbers, instead of growth. But do those numbers truly reflect what we’ve learned or just how well we’ve played the school system?

As a student at LASA, I’ve noticed that grades are dominant in almost every conversation, and they honestly shouldn’t be. In fact, many educators even argue that they actually measure compliance more than competence. Factors such as attendance and late penalties on assignments often get mixed with actual academic performance, and it creates anxious and number-worrying students. It’s frustrating to see so many students not able to learn because they are caught up in assignments for almost every class.

Research from Education Week (EdWeek) shows that traditional grades actually combine non-academic factors with achievement and blur what grades mean. Alfie Kohn, a longtime grades critic from EdWeek, argues that grades actually reduce students’ interest in learning and handling challenging tasks. This is a sign that LASA should move toward a grading system that rewards curiosity and growth, not strategies created to get points.

The article “Teaching More by Grading Less” from CBE—Life Sciences Education stated that traditional systems can discourage real engagement; it argues that whenever grades are the ultimate goal, learning becomes secondary. For LASA, a switch to mastery-based grading would prepare students for complex problem-solving that could potentially go past high school.

All over the country, teachers have experimented with different grading systems such as contract grading, specifications grading, and ungrading. Sarah Barringer, an educator, used contract grading. She explained that her students finally understood exactly what to do to achieve good grades, which reduced stress inside the classroom. Students are more motivated because the rules are now clear and achievable. Similarly, Chemical and Engineering News described how specifications grading gives students better chances to meet clearer standards. In LASA, this would allow students to focus on comprehending material deeply rather than stress about grades. 

LASA could pilot mastery-based grading in a few classes. Students would be able to revise their work until it meets the teacher’s standards, and teachers would provide feedback instead of using numbers. This method of grading would show progress and growth in students rather than a snapshot of a student’s performance. Most teachers who have this switch have reported that there are fewer disputes in the classroom and deeper engagement in conversations, according to CBE. 

So, if education is really about growth then the grading system should reflect it. The traditional grading system doesn’t show what we really know; it often shows how well we comply. The time is right for considering alternatives that reward understanding because if grades don’t reflect learning, then maybe it’s the grades that need to change, not the students.