Ignorance is not bliss: the Veracross Paradox

“There is no Veracross in life”⁠—a quote on a classroom bulletin board that rings true. A decade or two from now, I hope most of us don’t dwell on a high school grade. Those single letters (inspiring both pain and joy) will be part of our past. Yet, right now as we navigate our highschool years, they define our present.

Frankly, a majority of our life at the moment is at the Academy. With all its displeasures, school is where I spend most days crammed with lessons, homework, and perilous assignments. Given that school encapsulates a greater part of where we as students are now, it is astonishing that we still are not granted access to the numbers and decimals of our lives. 

After all we’ve been through; a global pandemic, hybrid learning, and for some of us, entire years on a laptop in conflicting time zones, we as students deserve transparency in the grading process. Modern education is nothing short of a monstrosity in terms of the way it reinforces that a student’s self worth is derived from a letter grade. Not all students may feel this way, but assuredly, a large percentage due. When so much immediate validation comes from grades, clarity is appreciated. 

Truly, some teachers do show grades using the Veracross percentage adage (2 of my classes), but many don’t. There are several reasons for this; some teachers grant leeway at the end of quarter to weigh tests differently depending on performance, and some teachers may round grades. More likely, some teachers believe sole motivation by grades is unhealthy or perhaps students can find their own grades through calculations. All I would like is a baseline. I think students deserve something to go off of. Once a baseline is established, students can gauge what classes they need to put more focus on. 

All I want is transparency. These percentages will not hurt those who don’t prioritize grades by showing them the truth. And for those high achievers, the number would encourage striving for more. Basing one’s life off of a letter is unhealthy, but it's ignorant to think that doesn’t happen without the percentage. Really, the number would just be a reassurance. For those of us on the middleground, dangling off the cusp of an A-, the percentage would give a heads up for a report card disappointment. Students want to be active participants in their own future, and our future, namely college, is dependent on these meaningless and meaningful letters. Will teachers be met with the begging student at the end of quarters? Maybe. But that begging student would be advocating for themselves in a way a teacher would never be exposed to without transparent grading. 

There is always a caveat to these matters. Some teachers don’t like putting such emphasis on grading. For example, grading art and math are quite different and maybe an art teacher would feel that applying the same standards seems unfitting. It all comes down to the student. If a teacher is really worried about pleading students, maybe they should reflect on how their grading reflects performance. That information being shared with us is of value. A lot of us want to do better. 

I want to see my grades because I want to see them go up. It’s that simple. And though it may be selfish, seeing the incline and the decline tells me what subject I need to work on. This isn’t a matter of straight A’s. Some stellar students are fine without seeing their grades because they know they are doing well. Not all of us are afforded that right to be so secure. I think showing students grades provides no real harm. In two of my classes that do show the percentage: one STEM and one humanities, students benefit. For our futures, ignorance will not be bliss.

There is no Veracross in life. But there is Veracross at the Governor’s Academy. 

A message to teachers: show us our grades… please.