Assignment 4

Let Kids Be Kids – No Grades in Swedish Primary School

Sweden has only recently seen the introduction of grades in primary school. This is due to the new educational reform launched by the government. In the old system school children were not graded until 8th grade. In contrast, other European countries start grading children much earlier. Now, however, grades will be given in 6th grade, and written reports indicating academic progress may be given by schools to parents as early as in 1st grade.

It may seem reasonable for Sweden to adapt to other European school systems, thus creating a more “standardized” foundation for education. But is this model really the best from the children's perspective? Not surprisingly, the proposal has been criticized for being problematic. As is shown below, there are indeed good reasons why children should not be graded in primary school.

To begin with, young school children should not be exposed to stress. The very purpose of grades and written reports is for children to have explicit criteria to meet. Making school children aware of their own progress will undoubtedly create more or less anxiety. Even if we assume that the average child is on the safe side, the sense of explicit requirements remains. It is better if these same goals are implicit, thus unknown to the children, but still checked by the teachers.

Another, closely related issue is that grades will create competition among school children. In an ordinary class it will soon be a well known fact among the children who are the “top pupils” and who are lagging behind. There will be a sense of prestige in getting high grades, and the self-image of school children will be affected by their achievements. Needless to say, a negative sense of self in this early stage of life may have devastating consequences.

And most important of all, children should be allowed to remain just that: children. We must not forget that primary school is not only about teaching children different subjects. It is also a time and place for children to meet, interact, play and develop as persons. Such qualities can hardly be “graded”, yet they are equally important. A system based solely on requirements, treating children as young adults, is likely to interfere with this important period in their lives.

Supporters of the new system argue that parents have the right to be informed about their children's progress. This, however, is a rather strange argument since the topic is usually discussed under ordinary parent-teacher meetings. There may not be any reports presented, but the same information is still communicated very efficiently. In fact, meetings such as these are arguably even more informative since parents and teachers can discuss not only grades but other concerns as well.

Another, more valid argument in favor of the reform is that it will improve children's skills by letting go of the laissez-faire attitude. Even though this may be true, it may also have severe consequences -- as has already been argued. Also, looking back at the time of the old system, it is evident that children with “low grades” can still reach their goals with extra support.

To conclude, it is evident that the possible advantages of the reform do not outweigh the disadvantages. Furthermore, as we have seen, the arguments in favor of the introduction of grades and written reports in primary school are not strong enough to motivate a replacement of the old system. Primary school means more than just educating young people. We must let kids be kids.