The Basis for Good K-12 Grades?

There is a surprisingly wide-range of possible reasons

Sometimes there are very important things that we simply do not give sufficient Critical Thought to. My belief is that the grades our children are given in K-12 is one of them.

Let’s say that you have this choice: do you want your child’s grades in K-12 (e.g., 8th grade average) to be “C” or “A”? I suspect that you’re thinking this is a dumb question, as you obviously are going to say “A”.

OK, you say “A” — but WHY? It seems to me that the possible answers reveal some interesting reasons that we don’t give much thought to… On reflection, your child getting an “A” average for some K-12 year might indicate:

Reason #1: That they got this grade by using AI, or some other form of cheating (which is widespread), mostly to placate inattentive parents. If so, their grade has little correlation to their competence.

Reason #2: That the teacher is practicing grade inflation, again mostly to placate inattentive parents. That also means that their grade has little (if any) correlation to their understanding of the subjects’ materials.

[Note 1: Another variation of this is when a teacher purposefully asks easy questions on tests, assuring that more students will score well.]

[Note 2: Contrary to what may appear intuitive, students not only prefer a tougher grading teacher, they also learn more (e.g., see this study).]

Reason #3: That they had familiarity with test questions given. This is also known as teachers’ teaching to the test. That means that your child has the ability to regurgitate back what they are told, and is NOT an indication of comprehension.

Reason #4: That they have a better grasp of these subject materials compared to their classmates (e.g., they got an “A” based on teachers grading on a curve). The value of that depends on the quality of their peers.

Reason #5: That they are motivated to do well, so they pay closer attention to the subject areas. That means that even though they may not have natural talent, if they apply themselves, they can do well. This is a good sign that portends future success in areas they commit to.

Reason #6: That they have superior intellectual competence. This usually means that they are a Critical Thinker. If so, that indicates that they will be more successful in a broad spectrum of life’s aspects (e.g., see here).

When a child gets an “A” in K-12, the parents typically default to assuming that it is due to reasons #5 or #6. The other possible scenarios are rarely seriously considered as possibilities.

Of course, K-12 schools are well aware of this proclivity, so that they have no qualms about giving students an “A” due to any of the reasons from #2 to #4.

If K-12 public schools contributing to inaccurate grades wasn’t bad enough (it is) the reality is that US K-12 schools: a) do not have Critical Thinking as a stated primary objective, b) do not formally teach Critical Thinking in any K-12 subject area [especially Science], and c) are actually teaching the opposite of Critical Thinking (conformity: see here).

Parents should want to know for sure which reason their child gets a good grade. But how do they know which one is the actual cause? One way is by simply observing whether their child is a Critical Thinker. If the answer is YES, then either #5 or #6 is MUCH more likely.

If the answer is NO and they are genuinely interested in the success of their child, they should take proactive steps to fix that major deficiency, which will soon turn into a lifelong crippling burden.

What can they do? Depending on the age of their child, some options are: a) speak to their child’s Science teacher about them teaching Critical Thinking, b) investigate alternative schools, c) consider home schooling, etc.

NB: My next Substack commentary discusses the matter of grades further…

PS — Some Sample References

Study: 60%± middle and high school grades are wrong

Grades Have a Huge Impact, But Are They Effective?

Why Grades Matter — Fordham Institute

Grade inflation: Why it matters and how to stop it — Fordham Institute

What Are Grades Really For? What Research Says About 4 Common Answers

20 Reasons why Grades are Important for Students

How Much Do Grades Really Matter?

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