At the Sport World School, we do not have grades, marks, or banks, call them whatever you want, like they do in regular school. Why is that, and how do we measure your progress, we will explain in this article.
The majority of us at the Sport World School went to a regular school because online schools were not a thing at that time. But, just to be clear, it wasn’t really that long ago. Anyhow, we didn’t like the grades or marks, back then. And we don’t like them now, which is why our teachers are never grading our students. There are several reasons behind that decision, but it all comes down to one – the purpose. Ultimately, we want to educate you and to pass on relevant knowledge and skills, rather than give you good or bad marks.
Why Do We Think Grading Is Terrible?
Well, the biggest reason is that we think that children start to observe good grades as their ultimate goal. In the long term, their goal is to get good grades, not to learn the materials, and acquire knowledge. And if gaining knowledge is not your prime motif in school, then something is wrong.
Let us ask you. Have you ever cheated to get a good grade? Did you ever feel bad because your friends got better grades than you? How many times have you learned only the lessons that will be on the test, and skipped the rest because it won’t be on the test?
You don’t have to share the answers with us, but we know them. If you cheat for the grades, where else are you willing to cheat? Comparing yourself with others won’t take you anywhere, you’ll feel like you are not worth it and that is wrong. The grading system in elementary, middle, and high schools has the wrong outcome, which is why we don’t apply it in our online school.
How Do We Measure Your Progress Without Grading?
To answer this question, we have to go back to our specific online curriculum and unique online learning methodology. We talked about that earlier, but in case you missed that, here is why we are different. First of all, our program and learning material is interactive and fun. Our platform contains text lessons and explanatory videos, and students get to write essays, take quizzes and tests. Secondly, with the learning methodology that we apply, you are never overburdened with lessons. You can establish your own tempo and learn at your own pace.
Each subject has several Units (lessons), and each lesson contains all the forms or elements we mentioned above. You don’t get grades or marks for units. However, the platform itself measures your progress in percentages. That is giving you feedback on how much you understood the lesson. You can’t unlock the next Unit until you complete all the assignments in the previous one. It is for one reason, if you didn’t grasp the knowledge in the first lesson, you would have trouble understanding what is in the next and so on.
So, ultimately, your goal is actually to learn and acquire knowledge, not just get the passing or satisfactory grade. Also, since you are learning online, you don’t compare yourself with others, but rather you are focused on your own progress. Just like it’s the case in your sport. Your coach is trying to get the best from. To turn you into a player that doesn’t care who their opponent is because you are skillful and competent to match anybody. We do the same for you, just in education.
Get in Touch
As you can see, there are many reasons why we don’t have grades. But they all come down to the fact that our mission is to pass on practical knowledge and teach you some skills that you can apply in real life, on the sports field or in college. If you have any questions about our online school, program, or methodology, feel free to ask at info@sportworldschool.com.