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Why perfect grades don't matter

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Most American students strive for a 4.0 GPA and the highest test scores, but research shows that this quest for perfection actually discourages creativity and reduces academic risk-taking. In this episode of “School Myths” by The Atlantic, Alice Roth investigates why grades aren’t everything when it comes to education.


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References

To learn more about the role of standardized testing in education, see W. James Popham’s seminal 2001 work, The Truth About Testing: An Educator’s Call to Action (New York, ASCD).

To learn more about how standardized testing is impacting classrooms and teaching in the US and Canada, see Arlo Kempf’s (2016), The Pedagogy of Standardized Testing: The Radical Impacts of Educational Standardization in the US and Canada (New York, Palgrave).

To learn more about how validity and reliability work when interpreting standardized tests results, see Thorndike & Thorndike-Christ’s (2010), Measurement and Evaluation in Psychology and Education (8th ed.) (NJ, Pearson).

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Should we get rid of standardized testing? - Arlo Kempf
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Despite an emphasis on perfect grades, research has shown it may not be the biggest predictor for success — a thought to help ease your mind on your next exam. 

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