In (and before you even get to) high school, it is engraved in our young minds how important it is to receive good grades and maintain a good GPA. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get an upperclassmen or high school graduate come talk to you about how they slacked off freshmen year and managed to turn their high school career around later on.

In high school we are constantly revolving around and consumed by our grades; it’s impossible to escape. It can be extremely motivating or utterly terrifying.

With that said, do these grades really matter? Are they as important as we are led to believe? The spectrum of opinions on the matter has a broad range, and some North High students weigh in on the topic.

Echai Khang, a North High junior, says, “To me, yes grades matter. If I don’t have a B+ or higher, I would be so hard on myself because whether we like it or not, those grades determine if a college will accept or deny us. High grades = high GPA = good college.”

Junior Crystal Xiong sees the importance of our grades, saying, “To some extent, they determine your GPA & your GPA can affect future opportunities such as acceptance to colleges.” Recognizing both sides, she continues, “But at the same time, I believe that no one should ever stress too much about grades because even if you get into a great college, it doesn’t mean your entire future will work out perfectly.”

So your grades can play a role in determining your future, which is a good thing! That pushes many students to work hard so that they can obtain the future they dream of.

But, on the other hand, getting a low grade on a test or an assignment can have negative affects on students. There have been many times when my fellow classmates have told me how “stupid” they feel. This is because there is a false idea that grades are used to determine how smart a person is.

Khang states, “A grade does not define a person’s intelligence. I feel like the grades show our effort. I can get an A in Earth science and forget everything I learned after I take the test”.

Xiong agreed saying, “It measures how much a student can remember. Remember formulas, remember answers, remember everything. It doesn’t necessarily tell much but it does tell how much effort a student can or can’t put in.”

Students should take pride in their good grades, but a low grade shouldn’t destroy their self esteem, and they shouldn’t feel less than anyone else. Times like that should be used as an opportunity for students to learn more, and for teachers to help them get there!

If she could tell teachers anything about the grading system from a student’s point of view, Xiong would say, “It stresses students out so much, and even the ones who try can sometimes fail. It sucks having tests and exams to determine our GPA and future opportunities.”

Khang would tell teachers, “You make the tests and quizzes worth too much. You give us so much homework and make me understand all of this stuff, and then give us trickery questions on the test to purposefully fool us to get it wrong.”

Both girls believe that a grading system can be beneficial so that the work students do is recognized by the teacher, and so that students get credit for their effort. They also both believe that our grading system can be harmful because of the varying weight of tests, quizzes, assignments, etc, and the emotional impact grades can have on students.

When asked about her ideal grading system, Xiong replied, “I wish our grading system was based on effort rather than knowledge and remembrance. I think a student’s grade can be raised by a teacher putting in effort to push the student to do their best. They need to develop a relationship with the student”.

Both girls specifically and especially agreed that assignments should be worth more, and tests/quizzes should be worth less! A majority of a student’s grade shouldn’t depend on their ability to take a test, it should depend on their effort and understanding of the material.

In general, there is a big disconnect between teachers and students when is comes to grades. I’m sure most people can agree that something should change so that more of the student population can succeed!