though the detailed handwritten report her teachers prepared is absent of any words that might be interpreted as negative in describing her efforts. A number system indicates how she’s measuring up in each area without any mention of passing or failing.
All of which seems to make my daughter’s school neither fish nor fowl when it comes to the debate over the merits of giving formal grades to kids. At one level, the advantages and disadvantages are obvious. A grade system provides a straightforward standard by which to measure how your child is progressing at school—and how he or she is getting on compared to other children. But as writer Sue Ferguson notes, “Grades can deceive.” The aim should be “to measure learning, not simply what a student can recall on a test.” The two aren’t the same---and if you doubt that as an adult, ask yourself whether you could sit down without any preparation and still pass those high-school-level examinations.
If you're old enough, you’ve lived through this debate before. At one time, it was considered unfair to put children in direct competition with one another if it could be avoided. The intention behind that may have been good, but it ignored the fact that competition, and the will to come out on top, are essential components of the human condition.
This time around, educators working with a no-grades approach are emphasizing different reasons. The thing is, that approach is much more commonplace in the adult workplace than is the traditional pass-fail system we place on our children. Many workplaces conduct regular employee evaluations. There are usually fairly strict limits to what an employer can tell an employee in those evaluations—and even then, negative evaluations can be challenged by the employee. No matter where you sit in the debate over the grade system, then, the real question is this: if it’s so good for kids, why isn’t that also true for adults?
The school report indicates that the writer’s daughter_______.
A、lacks interest in her school work
B、ranks among the best at language
C、has some trouble with her handwriting
D、needs to improve in math and computer skills
We can learn that the girl, s school tries to deliver the report________.
A、in a positive way
B、in a scientific way
C、in an attractive way
D、in an enthusiastic way
Sue Ferguson seems dissatisfied with the grade system for its focus on_______.
A、the process of getting the knowledge
B、the capability of memorizing for the test
C、the procedure of measuring learning
D、the standard of comparing schools
The writer would agree that cutting children off from competition is ________.
A、fit for human development
B、fit for their age and experience
C、against a key part of human nature
D、out of consideration for children
It can be learned that today's educators supporting the no-grades approach insist that________.
A、kids be allowed to challenge the negative evaluations
B、the traditional teacher-student relationship be changed
C、the evaluation system for kids be similar to that for adults
D、strict rules be set up in evaluating school children
