Despite society's belief that grades are important, I think that grades are irrelevant for several reasons. Grades do not directly correlate with ultimate success in life. Grades are also not a true measure of one's academic capabilities.
People always tell me how important grades are. However, graduating with a 4.0 GPA does not mean that one is guaranteed to be successful in life. A student may not be blessed with extraordinary intelligence, but that does not mean that he will be unproductive in society. One may be blessed with an ability that is not measured by a letter grade. One could be blessed with a creative mind, natural athletic ability, or be a great leader. An example of this is Cameron Mitchell of Upper Arlington High School. The story is that Cameron almost did not graduate, but now he is one of the most successful businessmen in Columbus owning a chain of restaurants. Even if someone has no special ability, he can still be kind and work hard to achieve a productive life. Success in life can also be measured by how happy and content one is, not by how much money one makes.
A grade is supposed to measure a student's academic excellence. However, many factors not related to intelligence go into the make-up of a grade. I know of some students who are very smart, but they do not excel in school because of a lack of, among other things, organization and motivation. A student could also be the smartest kid in the world, but a terrible test taker. What happens then? The student will consistently receive grades lower than what he is capable of because of an inability to perform on exams.
Matt Hennessey
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What if a student has a teacher who grades writings easily? He may receive a higher grade than he deserves. If a student is carrying a very easy load when his academic capability allows him to carry more, his grades will be inflated and look better, while a student trying to challenge himself is punished with a lower grade.
As you can see, receiving good grades is not everything in life. One can still be a productive member of society with just a normal level of intelligence. Also, the make-up of a grade can be misleading and not show a student's actual level of intelligence. For these reasons, and others, grades are irrelevant.

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