From WikEd

Revision as of 04:10, 5 April 2006

Descriptions, definitions,synonyms, organizer terms

Generally we think of a pass/fail option being when a student does satisfactory work , they receive a "P": when they do unsatisfactory work, they receive an "F". Not so simple according to the following essays.

Definitions

Application in classrooms and similar settings

Evidence of effectiveness

Critics and their rationale

A Rather opinionated opposition

Further opposition

Alternative explanations due to diversity considerations

Pass/Fail grading systems are used from elementary schools through medical school. ESL students are often given P/F grades. Very often P/F grades are used in special education situations.

Pass/Fail grades are given at Harvard Medical school because it is believed that students become more concerned about learning and less concerned about where they will rank in their class due to a conventional grading system.

Harlem School District's ESL Policies

Signed "life experiences"' testimonies and stories

I think a pass-fail system could be as effective in student evaluation as a grading system. As a teacher you define the standards, students complete various tasks and after a given time they will get evaluated from the teacher if they can perform the task or not. If they pass they get a new task and if they fail they get some more advice to practice the old one. Every student learns at different speeds and I think more effective learning can be achieved with the pass/fail method. A bad grade does not mean a student has the motivation to relearn the missed material. With the pass/fail method he has the obligation to learn it until he/she passes. Felix Autenrieth

I also believe that a pass-fail system can be quite effective in teaching. Like Felix said, it is about the teacher still setting guidelines and a course outline but the student plays a more active role in their own progress and learning. Peter Senge, the developer of the Systems Thinking idea (see WikEd entry) believed that this holistic approach to total learning was more effective than students cramming for one test at a time and feeling the pressure of trying to fit into standardized tests and learning approaches. Regular progress meetings would be necessary to make sure students are getting too far behind but this approach seems to have real potential. April Spisak

I teach a 6-week Study Skills course to 5th and 6th grader students at my school, and I can't imagine using any other system than Pass/Fail. I think this class is a perfect situation for children to learn strategies and techniques that will help them with skills needed for success in school without putting the pressure of getting a grade. I like to tell the students that this is a class that doesn't aim to add more to their list of things to do at school but helps them to manage what they already have to do. I have not seen that the use of a Pass/Fail grade diminished their motivation to learn in this class at all. - E. Remington

As a student, I really do not like having a pass/fail system of grading, especially when the course requires a lot of work. As a hardworking student, it is discouraging to work to my potential and have someone do the bare minimum and technically receive the same acknowledgement with "pass." I can see how it might work well with borderline failing students, but I think it defintely has a downside for those students who are motivated to do well. - A. Barkauski

I think that if implemented correctly, a pass-fail system could be beneficial to school climate. Often, "borderline" students may opt to not take a difficult course, because of the fear of failure or a grade lower than an A. If the purpose of a letter grade system is a means to get accepted into college or get a first job, then it is of little value. Is it really important that a student be marked "well-above average, above average, or average" in order to go to college? It might also be damaging to a student who tries very hard and does not get an A. As long as a teacher sets up a system of instruction that requires students to be actively engaged in learning, then I see no reason to have the ABCDF grading scale. Those students who do not try or participate would not pass. I think that it would be best to have a classroom where students are not pitted against each other fighting for the top grade, but instead, the whole class strives towards excellence together. --Mindy Waters

As a high school math teacher, my experience with Pass/Fail grading hasn't been good. I have had 7 students in the last 6 years take AP Calculus or Pre Calculus / Trig Honors with a Pass/Fail option. Of those 7 students, 4 have failed. These are honors students, the best of the best in our high school and yet 57% of them failed the class. I have talked with each of them and every student admitted that because they only needed to get 64% to pass, they put in far less effort than they would have if they had taken the class with the regular grading scale. I have talked about 6 students out of this option because of my experience with the failures. -- Brad Frey, Johnsburg High School

References and other links of interest

Harvard Medical School

Effective Grading Strategies