Letter of the Week: Grades stress students

Grades are a stressful part of school. They are supposed to represent how well students are doing in a class and how much they understand the subject.

But how can you get all that from one letter? A letter can’t determine how hard a student is working.

The high expectations and intense pressure schools put on grades push students to cheat. Rather than try to learn the information, students are simply trying to get the best grade.

Schools should remove the current grading system so students can concentrate on comprehending the information. Many students get bad grades on assignments because they can’t make sense of the information being taught.

Since schools are supposed to teach students information they don’t know, they can’t expect students to grasp everything that is taught.

Students should not have to focus on grades when the main point of school is to learn.

Schools should want students to graduate from high school having focused on content and not on a grade-point average.

Madison Andela, 15, of Blue Springs, is a sophomore cheerleader at Blue Springs South High School and as a freshman was on the Blue Springs South track team. Her parents are Jay and Vicki Andela. She has a sister, Meghan, 17, who is a junior at Lee’s Summit North High School, and a brother, Ryan O’Connell, 23, of Atlanta. She plans to go to college.

This story was originally published November 29, 2015 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Letter of the Week: Grades stress students."