Grades should matter. They should communicate the depth of your learning to the world. In theory, they express whether you gained a mastery of the topics at hand and your level of capability in the given subject.

In the end, assessments and grades in general relate to what educators hope the student has gotten out of classes and school in general. They may not actually indicate what the student has learned in the process. Some people see this as a problem, but in a society where young people are continually challenged to find ways to interface and contribute to a complex society, a modicum of conformity to expectations can go a long way.

With regard to the "real" professional world this is a perfect parallel. Employers are less interested in the broad scope of abilities that an applicant possesses and more interested in whether the person has the skills to complete the specific job for which they are being considered. Creativity and individuality are hugely important, but not at the expense of the specific functions required by the position.

The grading systems commonly employed today are by no means perfect, but there are trends at work in education that are improving the way students are compared and evaluated. Ideas such as authentic assessment, where students are asked to complete real-world tasks using skills that they have learned in an appropriate way give a much clearer picture about what knowledge and abilities students are taking with them when they leave the classroom.

While there will always be a need to improve the way we assign grades to students, it will always be important to continue grading students. They need grades of some sort to keep them abreast of what their strengths and weaknesses are so that they know where they should direct the most effort.

Learn more about this author, Eric Drew.
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