Assessment, marks, grading! These are words that can create anxiety and stress in students, parents and teachers. Where does our grading system come from and what is its purpose in society today?
It all began in 1792 when William Farish, a tutor at Cambridge University in England, noted a grading system being used in factories as a way of determining if the shoes made on the assembly line were up to grade. So what did he decide to do? Of course, he adopted a similar system in his classroom as a quick way to measure the level his students were at and how much they understood the topic being taught.
Across the world at Yale University, a similar system had just come into practice. In 1785 the president at the time, Ezra Stiles, had introduced a system whereby students were ranked into four categories: Optimi, second Optimi, Inferiores and Perjures. It’s Latin and roughly means Best, Second Best, Lower and Worst. Within a generation, the grading scale of A, B, C, D, E and F was firmly established.
Later in the United States educational leaders were anticipating an economy shift from an agrarian society to an industrial one. They formed a Committee of Ten and transformed education to a standardised factory model. They decided to teach students the same subjects, in the same way. Train them to perform routine tasks without creativity in a time-efficient manner. The 1893 industrial model was successful, so successful that it largely remains today.
Is it time for something new? We are now living in the fourth industrial revolution and it is time to step into something new. The importance of focusing on the individual through character and competency development in our children is more important now than ever before. Even though we live in an era of digital technology, more importantly, we live in the era of the human. We need relationships.
The children of Israel wandered through the wilderness for 40 years even though God had something new and much better for them in the Promised Land. They doubted God and wanted to go back to being slaves, go back to Egypt, go back to what they knew. It was familiar. Following God doesn’t mean it is going to be easy with no problems. It can be hard, with trials and troubles along the way. We may feel broken, but in the words of Leonard Cohen, the brokenness in us allows the light to shine in. God had something new and fantastic for the Israelites and He has something new and fantastic for us too. It is time for us to step into the new. What has God got planned for us? It’s not going to be easy but the end will be worth the effort.
In Joshua 1:9, God charges Joshua with the command "be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." I believe God is also encouraging us with the same message to be strong and courageous. The new generation of Israelites finally believed in God’s promises and took the promised land of Canaan.
It is time for a new education system, a system that focuses on the individual student and not simply teaching content. What is the 'new' that God is calling you to step into?
Let’s be STRONG and COURAGEOUS as we follow God’s leading in our lives.
Mr Nathan Hill
Head of Primary
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