The new grading system

So I haven't written in this thing for a while. I'm still aiming to adopt some sort of theme for this so people might actually read this and subscribe. I'm not so sure I want to follow astrology as I want to follow on current events. I think current events would be more interesting, so I shall do that instead.

In the meantime, I just want to introduce anyone-who's-reading-this to schmoyoho, a Youtube user who (along with several others) compose ATTNs: AutoTune The News. It's a mix of politics (and sometimes news) with humour, autotuning their speeches and adding their own flair to things. Their newest ATTN (which is the 11th) is here but it isn't the best. Visit schmoyoho for more of their ATTNs!
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So the current thing I want to talk about today is the new grading system for elementary school (grades 1 to 8). Instead of the regular A/B/C/D/R system we've all been accustomed to, and not to mention, know the meanings of off by heart, they decided to change it to:

- PWD = Progressing with Difficulty
- PW = Progressing Well
- PVW = Progressing very Well

They say that this maps out the students' progress more accurately instead of just comparing them to other students.

As a rebuttal, who ever said we're comparing to other students? The ABC system is compared to the provincial standard, not seeing if Johnny gets 7/10 and has the most correct questions, then he gets an A. No, we're supposed to match the students' progress and achievements to the provincial standard. If they meet them, then they can be functional citizens in our society. If they can't, then there should be remedial help provided because that is what schools and teachers are supposed to do.

Another argument is saying that it will hurt the feelings of the students knowing they achieved a C or below. I guess this is understandable for grades 3 and lower, but for grade 8? Is this necessary? They'll be using the ABC system in high school and university; should we change the grading systems in those educational institutions as well? Students need to learn how to handle with such situations when they are young so they don't become "traumatized" later. Besides, if the pain hits later, that'll plunge them into further despair and confusion because they would not have ever confronted that situation before. Sugar-coating would only cripple future students. Ludicrous.

Even with the current grading system, many first year students drop out of university or college because they feel that high school has left them unprepared. Our no-fail policy further enunciates this problem: pass the students and they're out of our hair, we match the provincial quota, we get our paycheques, we move on with life. Money is certainly important, and pass rates are important too (which is why the Afrocentric schools have been built in the first place, yes?) but we need to be concerned about what these students are absorbing into their brains. We should be getting to the core of the problem: why are drop out rates so high? Why do students feel unprepared going to post-secondary institutions? Why are they not meeting the provincial standard?

Supporters of the PWD/PW/PVW system also claim that teachers can write comments about homework completion, participation, etc in a comment area. Not sure if any one has brought this up in the board meetings, but there was already a comment area for teachers to write about said topics. There was even a checklist that listed these topics and the students' positions: NI (needs improvement), S (satisfactory), G (good) and E (excellent). So why this new system?

Finally, these special fancy words don't hide anything. Everyone already knows that PWD is a C or below, PW is most likely a B, and PVW is an A and above. If everyone already knows the meanings behind these words, there is really no point in conjuring up an entire new system to be taught at Teacher's College. Similar to this education-changing event and the knowledge of its predecessor, Ryerson University is still considered a college at best by most. Names don't matter. It's the meaning behind them. Shakespeare was right when wrote that a rose would smell just as sweet by any other name. Skunk, feces, gonorrhea, diarrhea, vomit, etc as a name for said flower would not change its scent, its appearance, its colour or any of its properties at all. A name is just a name. There is absolutely no point to sugar-coat the problem for the students, and thus no point to concocting some brand new sparkly potion to cure our drop rates and slight depressions of receiving a C.

Really guys. Do you think the CEO of IBM will sugar-coat your letter of being fired? I don't think so. The real world is tough. It's mean. It's scary. It can scar you. Driving can cause deaths, but we teach students defensive maneuvers. This method of sugar-coating is not defensive: it's crippling. If kids are supposed to be our future, then we will definitely have a gloomy, depressive future, lost on how to handle bad situations.

Our world will, to say the least, be going to hell.