High Grades Should Be Results of Surpassing Topflight Standards
The parameters used to measure the education of a student must yield grades that reflect his/her real education for the benefit of everyone.
In the school field, grades is undeniably one of the most important factors. It is the thing that a lot of students work hard on, the main record of the teachers on student performance, and the basis for the student’s acceptance to another educational level or institution. It should not be taken away from a set of standards crafted under the pursuit of a high quality education.
Recently, the online community’s attention was caught by a netizen’s post about a student whose grades are seemingly not reflective of his/her real education. Based on the viral post, the student garnered high academic scores with 94 as the highest and 89 as the lowest score. The student with a topflight grade in Media and Information Literacy graduated with honors.
However, the student’s answer to the essay question given as part of the entrance exam to a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM) course somehow did not reflect the “with Honors” recognition and the high grades in the report card. As the netizen cited, the student struggles “to string together a simple sentence in English”. It is also stated that the applicant for the BSHRM course “reads at a snail’s pace and misinterprets even the simplest instructions”. To recall, the applicant is already a senior high school graduate.
Meanwhile, don’t get it wrong. A student who is not good in English may still be considered intelligent. Let us not forget Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence. A student may be kinesthetically-intelligent or may do well in visual aspects but not in linguistic.
The main point here is that grades must be reflective of the intelligence of the student. More so, the awards or academic honors given. In the case of the viral post, most of the subjects which the student garnered high academic scores are in line with the English language — which is contradicted by how his/her essay was composed.
Based on the viral post, the mother of the student even questioned the school for the non-acceptance of her child and it was allegedly followed by dramatic situations at the school registrar. Undeniably, this is where the benefits of doing entrance exams enter. It is an assessment as to whether or not the report card is reflective of the competency of the student-applicant.
These all boil down to a call that grades and the education standards must come in the same level — high education standards = high grades. Furthermore, academic honors should not be giveaways. Anyone who gets it must be really equipped to naturally prove it in an assessment that matches its type.
After all, when the grades and the real education of the student match, it will benefit everyone — the student, the parent, the teacher, and the next institution or grade level he/she will be in.
It would be best for the student and the parent to know which area he/she does well and which part he/she needs improvement. As for the benefit of the next institution or grade level that he/she will be in, it is an assurance that the new field is fit for the student.
In the case of the teachers, undeniably, giving grades that match the competency of the student protects the integrity and the power of the educators at the tip of the pen.
Disclaimer: The content of the article posted above is an opinion of the writer. Also, the citations provided are based on the information deemed as facts by the different sources that contribute to the basis of the making of the whole viewpoint. The writer does not, in any form, intend to create inaccurate understanding of the topic or influence the readers, instead, express one’s viewpoint in a formal manner.