TRADITIONAL GRADING Worth Saving or Time for a Change?
Kathryne McCann
Doodles by Cameron Fisher
You spend long nights hunched over textbooks, suffering through headaches as you stare blankly at an eye-straining computer screen. Your hand begins to cramp as you feverishly scribble down an essay as the time ticks away during an exam. These are all situations students of today are all too familiar with. The stress, anticipation and instant gratification or shame that comes as a result of traditional grading systems has been a staple of education in America for generations. In recent years, however, it has been noted that high school and college students are more stressed than ever before. Could grades have anything to do with it? In a study published by BMC Public Health, researchers found that among a sample of students ranging from elementary through high school, self reported levels of anxiety increased with age and was negatively associated with school performance. This trend not only starts young with elementary schoolers but continues on into college. According to the 2019 National College Health Assessment, just within two weeks, about 53% of students reported feeling overwhelmed by all they had to do and felt exhausted (not from physical activity). The study also reported that during any time within a 12 month period about 66% and 45% of students
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felt overwhelming anxiety and so depressed that it was difficult to function, respectively. When asked if he feels stressed out about grades, third-year American University student Matthew Ollendorf, who is double majoring in secondary education and history, provides a simple answer: “Yes, for sure.” Especially amidst the pandemic, stress levels related to academic performance are riding high. “I don’t think I am at my peak productivity with the pandemic, so that results in increased anxiety a bit about grades and how I’m doing in classes,” said Ollendorf.
