My eldest child a seven years old has just started first grade. The public school is why we moved here so it goes without saying it's rated at the top in this region. We got the first report card today. To my surprise there are no grades in it! All it has are three levels of achievement
My child achieved the learning and applying level. Supposedly the best level.But to me it sounds very vague. I mean did he learn 100% of his lessons or 98%, did other kids do better then him or worse? How is he supposed to know how much more effort he needs to put in next semester? Exact scores would give him and us a much more clearer picture of how he's doing.
As a kid I went to school in Brussels, there we had marks for our report cards and positions even in 1st grade. If I scored a 97/100 I felt motivated to make it 100/100 next time. If I was second or third overall I worked harder to be first next time.
Our world is getting more and more competitive everyday. More so in the USA, then why are not children taught to be more driven and competitive as soon as they start school? Why not teach them that 98% isn't the same as 100% ? Teach them to try harder and do better everytime. There is no harm in that!
