Lucerne Students Speak Out: Why They Prefer Grades Over Color Bars

Tom (11) and Lorena (12) both got to know the grade-free school system in the city of Lucerne. At a meeting with Zentralplus, they explain why they prefer to see grades on their tests rather than color bars.

Those who are currently discussing grading in Lucerne schools last set foot in a school building tens of years ago (zentralplus reported). Or at most sporadically at my niece’s concerts or at parents’ evenings. But it’s been a while since they went to school and wrote graded tests. Zentralplus therefore spoke to those who are directly affected by the entire system change: Lucerne students.

At a meeting in front of the Reussbühl Cantonal School, Lorena (12) and Tom (11) talk about what they think of the new assessment system. The two also form the co-presidium of the Lucerne City Children’s Parliament. You might think that children would be happy about the elimination of stressful grades. Wrong thought.

After the summer holidays there were color bars instead of numbers

Both of them have already come into contact with the gradeless assessment system. Tom is currently in the sixth grade at the Moosmatt school building, Lorena is in the first grade at the Reussbühl Cantonal School. She previously went to school in relays in the school building.

Tom still had “normal” numerical grades in the third and fourth grades, but in the fifth grade these were slowly replaced by a brief written assessment and a color bar. They were not informed about this change, says Tom. Only the parents received a letter. After the summer holidays, instead of a 4, the test suddenly showed “partially achieved”, with a cross in the bar between yellow and orange.

He clearly said he found the previous system better. “When it comes to grades, you know exactly where you stand. This way you can better assess where you still need to learn a little more.” When it comes to colors, orange can be a 3, 4 or 5, said the sixth grader.

Performance is harder to assess

Lorena didn’t have any grades from the start – but she would have preferred them. She toots the same horn as Tom: “In primary school, we usually had a bar with an “exceeded” sign at the end. But then you never knew exactly what kind of grade that would have given.” A circumstance that she felt especially in the last year of primary school. “Because we didn’t have any grades in the tests, I was unsure whether my performance was enough for the Kanti.”

In general, one’s own performance is more difficult to assess. She received a bad grade for an exam that she actually thought she was better at. Tom can also tell you about the opposite situation: he thought the exam had gone badly for him, but still got a positive rating in the end. For him, it should at least be possible for students to receive an approximate grade upon request so that they can better assess their status. And also so that parents know better.

Conversations were only sporadic

In the interview, elementary school principal David Schuler explained that more reflection discussions would take place so that the children could find out what they had learned and where they could improve (zentralplus reported). Sounds good in theory – but according to the children’s stories, there is a lack of implementation. According to Tom, only the weaker students at his school had discussions and he only had one at the start of school.

Although Lorena always had learning discussions in the third and fourth grades, she hardly had any in the fifth and sixth grades. She had only had conversations there once or twice. However, it was primarily about which subject she could still improve in, rather than discussing the current status with a view to moving on to the upper level.

How demotivating are grades?

Another reason given by Rector David Schuler for the abolition was that grades would create “unnecessary and a lot of pressure”. Tom also admits that the new assessment system is probably better for weaker students or those with exam anxiety. However, according to Lorena, this does not necessarily have to be the case. “I don’t think a “partially achieved” is more motivating than a 4.” What’s more, it could also lead to more disappointment if they didn’t assess themselves correctly and received a bad grade in their report card at the end of the school year.

One option for Tom would therefore be for the students to decide for themselves at the beginning of the year how they want to be assessed. This means that the students who are frustrated by grades would receive textual feedback and the other students would have clear grades again. However, he would prefer uniformity: if grades were to be abolished, then completely or not at all. With the current system, primary school students would still have to switch back to grades from secondary school onwards, he criticizes.

Also considering a proposal for this

In general, both would like to have more say in the issue of grades. “It’s us who get the grades and for whom it’s a change,” says Lorena. And Tom adds: “The adults don’t know how we experience school and what we want.”

He had already considered submitting a question through the Children’s Parliament. Because they have the right to submit proposals. Last summer, the children’s parliament successfully fought for public transport discounts for children and young people in Lucerne with a postulate (zentralplus reported). But in the end he let it go. Because he has recognized that the wheels of the authorities grind slowly. “By the time the children’s parliament has even approved this initiative and the city has answered it, the question of grades will probably already have been decided.”

If you listen to the Lucerne students, there is a “not achieved” for the new assessment system. Above all, they want more transparency and better communication from the city and the teachers. Lucerne politics is in the same situation. Interpellations at cantonal and city level on the subject of school grades are still pending.