For centuries, the world has been using grades as a means to determine the academic prowess of students. What began in 18th century English universities as a competition ranking system, was mimicked by the United States and turned into a numerical scale ranging from zero to four that determined final evaluations (Schneider, 2013). Use of the system continued to grow until it was common practice for …show more content…
New and different methods are constantly being attempted. Sioux City schools in Iowa use a four point scale, but are thinking that a five point scale may be a more accurate measure (Forbes, 2015). School systems are pressured not only find the best way to grade students but also to grade schools. The majority of US schools are graded on an A-F scale (which has its problems) but some use more unorthodox systems. Some schools in Michigan use a color scale, but because it can be hard to determine ability based off of a color, they are considering changing this. North Carolina schools are also looking to change their approach – what was a 15 point grading scale (scores between 85 and 100 earned an ‘A’) is going to become the more well-known 10 point