BY RYAN MERARD
Raising your hand to answer a question, behaving in class or even just showing up to class are simple actions students can take in the classroom to gain points.
Along with assignments and tests, some teachers choose to use participation points as a percentage of a student’s final grade. This may seem like an effective way of grading to some, but there are many problems created by the use of participation points.
These participation grades are small, usually ranging from two to five points per class. However, because the points are given on a day to day basis, they add up quickly, making it significantly easier to maintain a good grade. This leads to students getting grades that they may not actually deserve. If all a student needs to do to earn participation points is to behave or contribute to discussions, it makes it easy to gain these points consistently.
Using participation points greatly benefits the students that are more involved with the class, which could make them seem like better students than those who choose to listen more.
“Participation points are not hard to get at all, it’s like a free grade,” sophomore Julian Smallcombe said. “All you have to do is answer some of the teacher’s questions they randomly throw out to the class, pay attention and you got yourself a few points for the day.”
Teachers that frequently hold discussions usually grade students on how much they engage in the discussion. This requires students to answer questions and provide information out loud in order to gain full points. This pushes people who are introverted and shy out of their comfort zone and benefits the more outgoing students as they are more likely to be more active.
Just because a student is more shy than others doesn’t mean they should not participate in class discussions. But by forcing them to speak out in class, shy students can become uncomfortable or anxious and, if they choose to not participate, will be penalized.
People have different learning styles— some students are good listeners and retain more information as the teacher talks, and some students learn by asking and answering the teacher’s questions.
All learning styles should be accommodated in the classroom, but with the use of participation points, this does not happen.
Using participation points greatly benefits the students that are more involved with the class, which could make them seem like better students than those who choose to listen more.
Grades should be based on performance. If teachers want their class to be more engaged in lessons, using participation points is not the answer.
Students that choose to listen to the teacher rather than speaking out could be just as intelligent, if not more, than the students who are more active in class. But with the implementation of participation points, grades might not reflect that. If some students learn by staying silent in class, penalizing them for that is not the way to go.
It is understood that teachers may want their classes to be active and respectful. Some students may even like the idea of teachers rewarding them for participating in class. Although teachers grading students on participation may seem like a benefit to students, it is actually detrimental to those who don’t like to speak out in the classroom.
Grades should be based on performance. If teachers want their class to be more engaged in lessons, using participation points is not the answer. Instead, they should try to encourage their students as much as possible to pay attention and take part in discussions, not force it.
For example, maybe students could be rewarded with treats for answering a question correctly in a class discussion. This way, no student’s grade is penalized because the teacher felt like the student was not involved in class.
The usage of participation points is not an efficient way to grade students, as it isolates those who are less inclined to speak in class, and elevates those who do speak, creating a divide based on involvement rather than actual knowledge or effort.
Photo by Cassie Hartmann
