UNDERSTAND

This paper is far from complete, IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE! NOR IS ALL INFORMATION MY WORK.

Work Cites will be in the Finalized Document once complete on May 10th.

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Arguing Semantics: An In Depth Argument of Grading
Aware of a degrading educational state in America and wishing the world for their progeny, many parents of postmodern aged children, who seek to knowledge through the media sources surrounding them, aspire to understand what is wrong with the grading system that served them so well in youth. The “Wings of Icarus” of modern education, both a crowning glory and glaring weakness, are the very things that are creating the situation that parental figures wish corrected, a problem which stares us down like the malevolent ruler of an ancient kingdom, but still, these wings are what even allow education to function on fundamentally factual topics of learning. So, how would one resolve a conundrum such as this? The necessary evil of grades allow for the linear assessment of knowledge but lack the ability to grasp at the fundamental ideas of learning, critical thinking, analysis, and comprehension. Skills that must be known in order to function in modern society. To correct the problem and formulate a solution we must study the past, examine the current state, and implement new methods of assessment, only then can grading preform the role that it is intended.
Grading takes its leave back to Paris, France in the late 1700's and early 1800's, when Napoleon Bonapart set forth a system to educate the masses and bring prosperity to his empire. Later, other nations adopted this system of education, and many of them strove to improve upon it. Skip ahead one hundred years ,and Yale seeks to quantify the values of learning as the methods currently employed are not showing the results desired. Soon after the first stets of grades were implemented, national standards of grading were set in public education and the modern grading scales were implemented, a choice which would shape the United States of America for the next 60 years. In the late 80's and early 90's a system called “No Child Left Behind” was implemented to try and correct a rising number of failing students, and for the first few years of the program, it worked as intended, allowing students who were learning to pass an those not to fail. However, soon the program became adjusted in a way which prevented uneducated students from staying back to learn the material correctly, and soon the quality of education began to rapidly decline. What went wrong in a program that, initially, worked so well?
To understand the question at hand, which asks for why the schools are failing, we must understand four basic things. First, is that teachers serve two roles, to check progress and to assign grades (Guskey). In the first of these roles, teachers are to analyze the comprehension of students and determine if they need additional assistance or if they are of adequate skill to progress (Guskey). Of the latter, teachers assign a quantified expression of given knowledge a student possesses, and this is to say that one with out the other is crude and unrefined (Guskey). Next, to teach correctly, grades must have meaning as they “are so imprecise that they are almost meaningless” (Marzano). Without meaning, what does anything say? Third, adequate funding should return to the school systems because one can not work with nothing. Americans want high grade education, but are unwilling for push legislation to enforce that ideal. Lastly, we must understand that with how strong for profit motives are, it incentives the creation of lesser educated individuals. One such example is that FOR PROFIT private prisons create a market demand for prisoners via exaggerated or otherwise revised sentences for crimes.
Tackling the first of the four issues, one could try to deduce that grades are the core of learning and that they produce the greatest gauge of progress. However, this is but a sham. Without a way to understand what one is reiterating, how could one comprehend the world around them. Learning by doing for factual information such as mathematics and science subjects where “A” plus “B” equals “C,” but this does not apply as cleanly to subjects of concept where “if 'A' and 'B' are present, 'C' may not always resolve the problem.” In subjects of critical thinking, such as literature, the arts, and history (yes, history), the data is more of an interpretative nature, and while “A” and “B” are there, hypothesize that “C,” “D,” or even “E” could create solutions. A perfect example of this is the story of the acclaimed video game “Final Fantasy VII.” In this game, the writers set out to create a story about life, loss, and identity. The main character all suffer drastically different changes in persona due to the range of losses and personal crisis they face. Cloud, the lead hero, being the most drastically affected by losing mom, dad, sister, lover, and even his own freedom at times, racks around his mind the whole game trying to find himself. This allows the individual player to impose human characteristics from their own lives on him, empathizing and understanding a large range of possible intents. As such courses functioning on the principle of critical analysis should stray away from grading when possible and use narrative analysis to create a situation by which a student can properly learn about events and ideas rather then have to worry about regurgitating the same problem/solution pair every time.
Applying meaning to grades resolves the second issue that schools currently face. The ratio of dificulty to grade has become unbalance in the last 25 years. This is due to lowering standards rather than raising methods of teaching to deal with the rising distractions of society. In the early 1950's it was rare for children to spend more then 1-2 hours in front of a television without their parents, and often spend the time reading or playing out side with friends. In the 1980-1990's kids began watching more and more television as access to the content became easier and the quality of programing grew higher and higher. Now in the mid 2010's we have the internet which allows access to ALL information in the world; smart cellular devices which connect children peer to peer without the need for face to face contact; video games who emulate fantasy lives and enthrall with (though very rare and often weak) narrative game play; television designed to addict and entrap; as well as music who's lyrics are simply the same two sentences repeated ten times per “song.” These distractions can also be used to educate children in the same ways they detour them from learning. In the “Elderscrolls” games, particularly “Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion” and “Elderscrolls V: Skyrim,” the players is told to create an avatar and take them through the history of the world and complete several over arching stories and learn how to become something greater then themselves. Paying attention to the story in these games, a person can learn a great deal about storytelling, narration, personal interaction, crime and consequence (to a weak extent), as well as bravery and responsibility. For the internet, simply set rewards for reading up from educational websites or watching educational youtube videos. Crash course is an exquisite source of factual data on several major topics of learning ranging from US and world history to literature and psychology. While music is an art form, simply allowing children to listen to it is not enough, they must understand why the music speaks to them in the way it does. Finally cellphones have dozens of educational and fun applications to allow children to learn. As strange as it seems, “Candy Crush Saga,” “Pet Rescue Saga,” and “Clash of Clans” powerfully teach children problem solving tactics, patience, and determination. There is a maelstrom of tools that parents can used to teach their kids how to learn and become stronger individuals, they just need to find them and learn to use them.
The last two issues go hand in hand. The creation of lesser educated individuals and the return of funding to schools. For profit prisons and other institutions which disagree with the obvious choices informed individuals make have interest to direct politicians to remove funding from schools and lower standards so that people learn, understand, and have access to less information about the world around them. This creates a “positive” feed back loop which gives the for profiteers what they want. Uneducated masses of mindless individuals unable to see past the obvious, unable to comprehend subtlety and any from of tact. The best way to stop this is to use the state power to force improvements in education, and to correct the problem before it is to far flung to reverse. Simply put, take charge of the political agendas you vote for. Read up on the facts, and ignore advertisements. In the last 30 years 97% of all elections were won by the person who spent more money on campaigning.
In conclusion, help children learn though creative tools, refund schools, use grades for static information, use narrative analysis for critical concepts, and teach children in the home. Surprises come in small packages, and a nudge in the right direction can make all the difference.