Every student, except some IGSS kids, will receive their first semester grades in less than two weeks. For freshmen, this is daunting. Unlike quarter grades, semester grades appear on an official transcript. For seniors, this is relieving. It is the beginning of the end. We all value grades stupendously, yet we know the system is far from perfect.

But why do grades exist? Grades are the result of assessments, from homework to tests, and are supposed to measure a student’s understanding of the curriculum taught in class. They attempt to reflect how well a student has mastered the material. They also make it easy for the administration to see how well particular departments are teaching their students. But not all grades are created equal.

For Math, Science, MCL and some Social Science classes, grades are a fantastic measurement of a student’s comprehension. If you get an “A” in Pre-Calculus, that means you have proven that you understand the material. You get the answers right. The same goes for Science and language classes. Grades work in these subjects because these classes are teaching concrete information with right or wrong answers.

Grades fail in the classes that teach skills. Think about what an English class teaches. Basic vocabulary and plot questions do not drive the curriculum. The primary concepts are critical thinking, synthesis, communicating ideas and building writing style. How can this be measured objectively and fairly for all students?

In AP Lit Comp, there are four different teachers. The classes all focus on the same major texts. But the students are not assessed equally. Different classes will have different in-class essay prompts. It is up to the teacher to decide which one they give. English teachers, above all other departments, have the greatest ability to individualize their curriculum. But with that ability comes the greatest invitation for bias.

Everyone has a bias. Every teacher has an opinion on whether or not they like a student, or if they even care for one. When an English teacher grades an essay, there is no way to prove whether any bias affected the grading. Teachers in these “skill-focused” classes grade on their own expectations. Teachers admit that these expectations change whether the essay is in class or at home or has an extended deadline.

Grades also cloud the mind. Students will focus more on a letter on a page and less on the material that they are being taught. When assigning a letter to one’s skill- based performance, it creates assumptions about the student’s academic character. For instance, assume a student receives a “B” on their Junior Theme. This “B” does not show student’s growth in developing rhetoric. It does not show a student’s achievement in organization or style. Boiling down the writing process to a single denotation takes away the emphasis on growth.

The perfect solution would be written evaluations on student’s growth and maturity of skills taught, specifically in English class. These evaluations would be simple. At the beginning of each assignment, students should meet briefly with their teacher where they can set goals. Setting goals with their teacher will make sure the goals are achievable, yet challenging. At the end of the assignment, another conference would occur to see if the student’s goals were met. The teacher can then use these meetings as the basis for their overall evaluation on how the student has grown throughout the semester.

But this set-up would be nearly impossible for a department as large as English to achieve. An alternative and more plausible solution would be the IGSS route, where students choose if they want written evaluations or letter grades. Yes, evaluations take time to write. But they present a more holistic view of the student. If New Trier implemented IGSS grading for the English Department, only the students who requested evaluations would receive them.

Many students have experienced the feeling of receiving an arbitrary grade on a paper or written assignment, thinking, “this teacher must have just pulled grades out of a hat.” Using evaluations would evoke an interest beyond just a letter grade. This is not a problem students can solve; it requires teachers to advocate it and develop it. For the sake of education, some reform needs to happen.