Germany wants to abolish school grades
As Deutsche Welle notes, this decision has sparked heated debate in Germany. Supporters of abolishing grades believe that giving them is unpedagogical, that dividing students into successful and unsuccessful is outdated, and that bad grades discourage children from wanting to learn.
In addition to, so to speak, ideological and psychological arguments, they also cite purely practical ones. According to, for example, Ilka Hoffmann, who is on the board of the Education Workers' Union, a written report allows for a more nuanced assessment of a student's performance than more or less abstract scores.
In the lower grades of primary school, where grades have long been absent in many German federal states, this is done as follows. In the report after the end of the school year or semester, they write: 'Completed the natural science course.' Or like this: 'Was active in natural science lessons.' Or even: 'Stood out for his activity in natural science lessons.' The difference is clear?
In primary school, Germans do not scold students in these final reports for anything – they only praise. But parents perfectly understand what, for example, the following phrase means: 'Lively discussed with classmates what was heard from the teacher in geography class.' That is, in plain language, chatted during the lesson.
Such formulations, on the one hand, say a lot about the academic performance and behavior of students, believes Florian Kieser, who for several years was the deputy chairman of the Student Council of the state of Baden-Württemberg. On the other hand, they do not discourage them from learning, do not plunge them (and, no less importantly, their parents) into despondency because the neighbor at the desk has a better report card or certificate.
'Children should strive to improve knowledge, not grades,' emphasize supporters of abolishing school grades in Germany, 'and should not be afraid of getting a four, five, or six' (these are the worst grades in the German grading system).
That's all well and good, proponents of grades retort, but why do we always talk about bad grades? After all, there are also good and even excellent ones! They are an excellent incentive for children: there is something to strive for, emphasizes the president of the German Teachers' Association, Heinz-Peter. You want to write the next test better if you got, say, a three on the previous one.
Specific grades show the level of knowledge of specific material, Meidinger is convinced, and you must know your weak points in order to focus on them. So grades in school are not a factor of intimidation at all, but simply a guide in learning, the 'traditionalists' believe.
As for the claims of opponents of school grades that they put too much 'pressure' on 'poor students,' they are countered: such 'pressure' is much milder than in adult life, where you also need to achieve success, strive for more. The school of life is not a bad thing at all.
Be that as it may, education in Germany, like culture, is the prerogative of the federal states, meaning the actual abolition of school grades in Hesse is by no means mandatory in other German states. And it is unlikely that anywhere will decide to follow Hesse's example. After all, according to the results of a sociological survey just conducted by the Emnid Institute for Public Opinion Research, in Germany 75 percent are in favor of keeping school grades, and only 18 percent want to abolish them.