Do Grades Determine Intelligence?
In modern-day society in the United States, good grades are pushed upon young teens. It is undetermined whether good grades are important or not, but they can affect a students’ life at school and possibly their future.
https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/removing-grades-from-student-reports
November 5, 2021
Do grades determine a student’s abilities? This is a commonly debated subject amongst students in high school. It is said that your grades can plan your future and decide where you may go after you graduate. Some argue that good grades determine your strengths and abilities because they test your brain’s comprehension. Others say that earning good grades is just a combination of memorization, hard-work, and effort, not intelligence.
Yes, Grades Determine Ability.
If you wanted to earn good grades, you’d have to possess enough knowledge and understanding of certain subjects to be able to teach them. A person who can store knowledge in their brain is a person who is smart. These people use their smarts to answer questions, practice, and understand what they are doing. Good grades give students a good reputation and can allow them a better chance of getting into college. Therefore, having good grades makes you more likely to be successful in life. Students with bad grades are students who do not know how to collect information to master the material. Students who tend to get bad grades are known to misbehave and develop negative attitudes toward school. When students act out, they are making the decision to do so, which is not smart.
Studies done by the American Psychological Association found that students with higher emotional intelligence got better test scores than students with less. “…a skill known as emotional intelligence, [they] do better at school than their less skilled peers, as measured by grades and standardized test scores” Intelligent people are more likely to get good grades in school as well as problem solve, manage emotions, and more. They also have a better chance of having a high-paying job and living longer.
No, Grades Do Not Determine Ability.
You do not have to be intelligent to get good grades. Good grades come along with interest and hard work. It takes effort to earn good grades, no matter how intelligent you are. “While I believe that grades can help determine a student’s academic abilities I think there’s a lot of things when it comes to grades that don’t necessarily indicate student ability” Says Social Studies teacher Mr. Joyce. A person who doesn’t have interest in a subject is more likely to have difficulties getting good grades. A person who gets good grades is a person who tries, since it takes effort and practice. You’re more inclined to pay attention if you’re actually passionate about doing something and want to learn.
There’s a difference between being smart and being intelligent. According to Psychology teacher Mr. Butt, “Intelligence, I would say, is defined by your biological predisposition to being quick”. Intelligence is about being able to provide quick answers since it’s all about genetics and depends on the amount of neurons you have, while smarts is just doing hard work. “You can be a hard worker and also not be super intelligent” Added Joyce, “Knowing what you know, knowing what you don’t know, and having common sense is the key to being intelligent in my opinion”.
Having good grades doesn’t automatically mean you are less likely to cause trouble. While students who have good grades tend to behave better, good behavior depends on the class, the people, and the interaction between each other. Grades don’t determine if you are going to be more successful either. A person who is more outgoing and tends to get bad grades, has a big chance of becoming an entrepreneur or owning a business. Although, if you do your work and study, you’ll be able to succeed at a lot of things. Having certain skills like critical thinking, time management, and logic, comes with a lot of intelligence and will help you to be more successful, no matter what you decide to do.
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SabineGonzales • Dec 15, 2021 at 9:52 AM
Joyce makes a good point stating “ “While I believe that grades can help determine a student’s academic abilities I think there’s a lot of things when it comes to grades that don’t necessarily indicate student ability”. To further explain, although you can have bad grades, it doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t smart. It might be because of the lack of effort or motivation and vice versa. A student may have amazing grades but constantly cheats in order to achieve them. Alyssa proceeds to ask Mr. Butt what his opinions on the matter were and he believes that “Intelligence is defined by your biological predisposition to being quick” and this outlook brings me to believe that the most intelligent person is of the fastest mind, which isn’t true. Mr. Butt’s perspective is interesting because the real definition of intelligence is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.” which has nothing to do with speed at all. Perhaps it is more of an observational opinion since he teaches for a living.
Shae • Dec 15, 2021 at 9:50 AM
In your article, Do Grades Determine Intelligence, you argue on both sides of whether or not grades determine intelligence. I agree that intelligence is not determined by grades, but for those who get the grades, it is proof of their intelligence. As someone with good grades, I feel as if those with good grades are being overlooked in defense of those with poor grades. While there are still many opportunities for both good and bad grades, you make it seem as if the opportunities that people have worked for by getting good grades are not as important. You say that “While students who have good grades tend to behave better, good behavior depends on the class, the people, and the interaction between each other. Grades don’t determine if you are going to be more successful either.” I think that the behavior of the student is determined by how they are raised, and how they want to act. While the interactions between people are out of one’s own control, engaging is brought on by one’s self. Success is defined by someone’s own self-worth and where they see themselves being happy. so no grades do not determine how successful someone is. Looking over someone else’s work, who worked hard to get where they are, even with grades, should never happen.
Melissa Stasulli • Dec 15, 2021 at 9:47 AM
Grades should not define intelligence. They are reliant on how much effort someone puts into assigned work–not their level of intelligence. As mentioned in the article, having good grades does not mean you are less likely to cause trouble. Alyssa Franklin quotes Mr. Joyce’s words, “While I believe that grades can help determine a student’s academic abilities I think there’s a lot of things when it comes to grades that don’t necessarily indicate student ability.” Mr. Joyce’s comment serves an excellent point as grades may show your ability to work, but there are many things contributing to intelligence. Many students are unable to focus on grades because of family issues or problems outside of school. This should not determine whether a student is intelligent or not. Doing your work and studying is, of course, a great thing. Even so, it does not define how smart or capable you are as a person. Many factors are involved in intelligence including time management, critical thinking, and knowing what decisions to make in a difficult situation. Survival skills are also included in intelligence; grades are not a huge factor in determining how smart an individual is.