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Well, the one in Japan I have to discount because one thing that makes their education system strong is an, intrinsic, desire to learn. Education is seen as a privilidge not a right and it would be dishonorable not to do your best. That is worlds away from our students.
I'll read the other two when I get a minute. I'm leary of a system that does away with grades. IMO, grades are just a way to measure how well a student is learning. I would favor a system that allows kids second chances. My district has thrown around mastery learning as something we may do. I like that. Kids simply do not pass until they have demonstrated mastery of the material. I've seen little on this but what little I've seen indicates there would be three possible grades, A, B or I. If a student gets an I, they cannot move on until they get, at least an 85% on the summative assessment. The system uses formative assessments.
Out of curiosity, with no grades, how do you determine if a student has completed enough work to graduate? How do I determine if they learned enough chemistry to pass?
I don't think I would have worked as hard as I did under a gradeless system. I need pressure to perform. Take away pressure and I procrastinate (They tell me I'm ADD).
We did contracts when I was in chemistry in high school. We signed up to do X amount of work and demonstrate our knowledge in certain ways. I, of course, put everything off until the last minute and ended up almost failing. I cannot see a gradeless system working for kids like me. I need deadlines and I need to know you are assessing the quality of my work. Without deadlines, I procrastinate. Without assessment, I would do the bare minimum to get by. Why do more if it doesn't get you more?
I'll see if I can get to the links sometime this weekend.
There are colleges that have done away with grades. It's not the norm, but they're definitely out there.
My problem with grades is that they don't necessarily show how much a child is learning. Something like a pass/fail seems like it could be a reasonable compromise.
I think the goal -- from the start -- is to create kids who have internal drive to learn; the pressure is coming from within, not from other people handing out grades or approval.
The complaints about doing the bare minimum to get by is actually one of the biggest reasons many people are opposed to giving out actual grades; if you can get a decent grade with X amount of work, why do more? I also don't think going without grades means no feedback, no assessment, or no deadlines -- it just means feedback in a different, and I think better, form.
My other concern with grades is that it does stifle intellectual curiosity and risk-taking. It might not make a difference for the kids who don't care about the grades to begin with, but since they already don't care what's the difference? (in their case, the focus on other things might in turn make them more, not less, likely to actually take an interest in school as something to enjoy, not endure) For the kids who are afraid to take any kind of intellectual risk because they think if they get a B they'll have ruined their chance to get into a good college and then will be doomed for life, well, the lack of grades will free them up to push themselves in ways in which they wouldn't do if they were fearing a lower grade.
I don't know how this work for determining graduation; perhaps the pass/fail option would take care of that option. I think it's reasonable to do some assessment, but the A-F system doesn't seem to work well. I'll have to do some more reading into the A, B, or I options.
And at the elementary school level I think grades need to be completely abolished. They make even less sense there.
I'd say education in the USA is doing exactly what it is intended to do. It's purpose is not to make intelligent, independent and creative critical thinkers, it's to make lots of "worker bees".
The Man needs cashiers, burger flippers, shelf stockers and the occasional repair man or lawyer, not people who have the ability or will to challenge the established system.
That is why school involves long hours doing mindless repetitive tasks under the direction of an authority figure. If you train 'em while they are young, they will easily stomach it when they are adults.
I'd say education in the USA is doing exactly what it is intended to do. It's purpose is not to make intelligent, independent and creative critical thinkers, it's to make lots of "worker bees".
The Man needs cashiers, burger flippers, shelf stockers and the occasional repair man or lawyer, not people who have the ability or will to challenge the established system.
That is why school involves long hours doing mindless repetitive tasks under the direction of an authority figure. If you train 'em while they are young, they will easily stomach it when they are adults.
Basically it's the survival of the fittest! Society needs a balance between the "haves" and the "have nots." It's a system of checks and balances. Yes it sucks, it's harsh, but the truth hurts and until people recognize that that's the way the world there will continue to be angry people blaming the "systems."
It's not the survival of the fittest -- it's the survival of those lucky enough to be born into the right circumstances in life. I suppose that's a sort of "fittest", although those people are not necessarily the "best" (morally, intellectually, or by any other standard); who knows what other talent is out there, and deserves to be nurtured? Or kids who might be perfectly average, but still need a fair shot? In theory, anyway, our American society still believes in equality and not a caste system, but I think everyone will agree that our students are not provided with equal educational opportunities. I'm certainly not going to pin the blame on any one group of people or even "the system", although I think there's a lot of both big and small changes that could make things work better for more people.
It's not the survival of the fittest -- it's the survival of those lucky enough to be born into the right circumstances in life. I suppose that's a sort of "fittest", although those people are not necessarily the "best" (morally, intellectually, or by any other standard); who knows what other talent is out there, and deserves to be nurtured? Or kids who might be perfectly average, but still need a fair shot? In theory, anyway, our American society still believes in equality and not a caste system, but I think everyone will agree that our students are not provided with equal educational opportunities. I'm certainly not going to pin the blame on any one group of people or even "the system", although I think there's a lot of both big and small changes that could make things work better for more people.
No one's saying it's fair or right, it just is what it is.
Human dynamics have never been about equality functionally speaking; it's always been about 1up-ing the other guy and keeping your own place in the hierarchy at a minimum. The past 50 year are a historical anomaly, and we only got some semblence of equality because the bottom end got the upper hand after WW2 and was able to usurp some of the top's power. Unfortunately fairness to strangers is not part of the human animal.
You can fancy it up all you want and drag the horses to water, but until they want to drink, it's all for show.
75% of all adults do not earn a BA or BS degree according to recent statistics. When your car breaks down or your toliet leaks these degrees do not mean much. It helps with trivial pursuit however.
My professor said the other day that most people who leave college won't remember much from their tests and studies, but they will remember the people who made an impact in their life.
SO true. I don't quite remember what I learn from freshmen to junior year but the people who made an impact during those years.
Basically it's the survival of the fittest! Society needs a balance between the "haves" and the "have nots." It's a system of checks and balances. Yes it sucks, it's harsh, but the truth hurts and until people recognize that that's the way the world there will continue to be angry people blaming the "systems."
What people don't realize is that a system of all haves does not work. College for all attempted to make everyone a have. Now it just takes a college degree to be a worker bee. It doesn't matter what we do. The cream will rise to the top and the rest of us will work our jobs, live our lives and support that top. It's dog eat dog and it's not going to change.
I don't know where people get the idea that everything has to be equal and fair. If it were, no one would have anything. At least, the way things are, you have the hope of making it.
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I cannot see a gradeless system working for kids like me. I need deadlines and I need to know you are assessing the quality of my work. Without deadlines, I procrastinate. Without assessment, I would do the bare minimum to get by. Why do more if it doesn't get you more? 
Why the education system is failing
It's a system of checks and balances. Yes it sucks, it's harsh, but the truth hurts and until people recognize that that's the way the world there will continue to be angry people blaming the "systems."
