What exactly is an "A" and does it really matter?

Everyone seems to be obsessed with grades, test scores, class ranks, and school ratings. For my middle school students it's the end of the semester, and everyone is worrying about their final semester grades. Report cards will arrive in the mail soon and parents will say, "Why did you get a C in Math? How come you only got a B in English?" In my state everyone is buzzing about the new district rating system. School district rankings have been published and parents are asking, "Why did my child's school receive a GOOD rating? Why is the school district in the next town over rated as GREAT?"

Have we totally lost sight of the goal of schooling? What if we stopped posting grades on report cards and started posting a list of the skills mastered, concepts explored, and projects completed? Parents might say, "Wow! Look at all you've accomplished this semester! I can't wait to see what else you will learn." What if the news media stopped announcing the ratings of school districts and did a news story on one school each day? Viewers might say, "I had no idea there were so many opportunities at ABC School. What a great place for kids to learn and grow!"

(Originally published in December 2016).