The impact of grades in the classroom

Many students today associate school with grades before they associate school with learning. The idea that some students fight to raise a grade without first investing their time in learning seems contradictory, but the allure of grades to achievement based learners is a strong incentive to work harder in the classroom.

Grades were invented not to help students learn, but instead in an attempt to quantify learning. The first instance of grading is credited to Yale University.

Brian Palmer, an author on slate.com, explained, “Grading of any sort is a relatively modern innovation. Yale may have...