Brandon students call for return of traditional grading system

Some students at a middle school in Brandon have signed a petition asking for the return of grades expressed as a percentage.

The students, from Harrison Middle School, are not fans of new report cards, which assign a letter grade based on how they stack up against expectations for students in their grade level.

However, the letters aren't the traditional A through F, based on a percentage of possible points achievable. In the new format, students are assigned one of four grades:

• M for meeting grade-level expectations.
• A for approaching expectations.
• N for not meeting.
• E for exceeding expectations.

Bradyn Cuthbert, an eighth-grade student at the school, said he misses the good old days, when kids could compare their percentage-based grades.

"I think it makes me work harder, too, so I can see my goal," he told CBC News on Wednesday.

"If I improve five per cent, which is a decent amount, I might just stay an M. It might not change or look like that I've really improved at anything, because it takes a lot to get to that exceeding mark."

Schools across the province — especially in the middle years, Grades 5 to 8 — are gradually moving to the new system of grading because educators believe numbers don't tell the whole story.

"It's about our attempt to better communicate to parents about a student's learning and where he or she is at in terms of the expectations for that particular grade level," said Harrison principal Chad Cobbe.

"When you really break it down, there's a lot that's not being shared about a learner's progress in a simple percentage grade that's followed by a quick comment," said Cobbe.

The school division is using the new system to evaluate students in English, math and physical education this year. Next year, it will be used in most core subjects, and its use will later expand to include optional subjects.