Primary students to be assessed by grades
Print Edition
PRIMARY school students will now be assessed by grades instead of marks for the new semester year starting from September, the Shanghai Education Commission said yesterday.
“The evaluation system has been piloted among first and second graders since 2013,” said Zhu Lei, an official of the commission. “It has helped as parents no longer compare their child with scores while students feel motivated by the assessments.”
Under the new system, teachers have to post comments and give grades according to the students’ performance. Grades A, B, C and D stand for excellent, good, qualified and efforts needed. Students will be graded for learning, motivation, habits and achievements.
While there are no written exams for first and second-graders, assessments for third to fifth-graders will take into consideration results of quizzes and tests besides classroom performances, learning ability and motivation.
“Exams will not give marks like before,” said Zhu. “Instead, they will also be evaluated with the grades given for reading, writing and understanding.”
The new assessment system is also expected to reduce the level of competitiveness among students and boost their self-esteem.
“Before, parents fussed about a point or even half a point that would put pressure not only on students but even on parents as well,” Zhu said. “On the other hand, the evaluation method and comments by teachers will tell the parents the nature of accomplishment of their children and suggestions if necessary on improvement,” she said.
Teachers have also been advised to inspire students by giving positive comments.
“For young students, stimulating their interest for knowledge is more important,” Zhu said.
Shan Fang, a math teacher at the Penglai Road No.2 Primary School, welcomed the new grading system.
“In the new system, we have to observe students more carefully to find out their respective advantages and disadvantages,” she said. “This way, almost every child has a chance to get higher grades for their positive attitude and neat handwriting.”
“Young children actually think positively if they are praised but poor credits often discouraged them from studies,” she added. “The new rule can be fair to everyone.”
A parent, Sha Qingyi, whose son will enter the third grade in September, said the grades were less of a burden for students.
“(But) if the admission process in high schools and universities still use scoring system, the reforms in primary school is meaningless as parents have to return to the point-by-point competition eventually,” Sha said.
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