Grade Pressure – Joy and Frustration

What Can a Grade Really Indicate? – “In practice, grades are not descriptions but evaluations of performance,” explains educational researcher Ferdinand Eder. “Terms like satisfactory or good already suggest a judgement. These evaluations often partly reflect alignment with set goals but primarily involve a ‘social’ comparison. For example, in a school class, a student graded good is generally more competent regarding the set goals than one graded satisfactory. Thus, grades reveal little about actual performance or skills but a great deal about a child’s ranking within the context of their class. Grades are unsuitable for showcasing learning progress.”

What Factors Influence Grading? – “There’s an abundance of research literature demonstrating that grading—and the grades achieved—are heavily influenced by personal factors of the teacher, their mood on the day, social influences, the level of the surrounding class, the school’s standards, and so on.”

Do School Grades Have the Potential to Provide Guidance and Motivation? – “Some teachers give low grades to encourage students to work harder, while others do so because the students genuinely lack ability,” says educational researcher Ferdinand Eder. “For students, poor evaluations rarely contain constructive elements—they simply learn that they are ranked lower than their peers. Often, this leads to discouragement and resignation. Exceptions occur among highly motivated students who, after a one-off failure, are driven to put in more effort. However, from a developmental psychology perspective, it is evident that young people increasingly come to dislike subjects in which they receive poor grades, often going so far as to avoid those subjects entirely—even when choosing a career path.”

What Challenges Do Grades Pose for Students? – “The late Professor Rupert Vierlinger, a lifelong opponent of numerical grading, put it roughly this way: ‘When a student focuses on the grade, the learning process is already disrupted.’ The desire for high marks or the fear of low ones shifts learning from engaging with a goal or task to a strategic process aimed solely at achieving a good grade. This can lead to neglecting understanding or skill development. Simple strategies for achieving good grades without true learning include rote memorisation, copying, cheating, and other deceptive practices—even going as far as legal threats from parents to pressure teachers into awarding their child a favourable grade.”

What Are Alternative Ways to Assess Students? – “There are many feedback methods in schools that reflect the immediate performance of children and adolescents without being filtered through a numerical evaluation. These include direct performance presentations, portfolios, learning goal lists with notes on what has been mastered, and much more. Realistically, we must acknowledge that the sheer number of grades currently being issued isn’t necessary—they often serve no purpose other than their own existence, such as semester grades. A contrast worth considering is how few evaluations adults receive in their professional lives—especially teachers, who, after an initial phase, typically go through their careers without formal assessments.”

What Systems Are Used Elsewhere? – “Numerical grading dominates in German-speaking countries. Many other countries, however, have significantly longer periods without grades—for example, in Italy—and some use systems that explicitly indicate mastery of objectives, often abbreviated with letters. A notable and, in my view, highly meaningful system is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This framework defines language proficiency at various levels through clearly specified requirements, which can then be assessed via tailored examinations.”