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Keep the Test, Get Rid of the Grades Anyone who hates studying for an exam would agree with Paul Goodman and his essay, “A Proposal to Abolish Grading.” Goodman spent many years teaching at different universities and he graded many students on academic success. Goodman tries to prove that there must be a different way to pass or fail students without having to grade or test them. With different ideas in mind, Goodman makes good points and presents good ideas on how to abolish grading, and increase education. Goodman goes about his argument in a very effective manor, and does a satisfactory job at explaining his points. Goodman begins with a couple of examples and some feelings from other professors, and also from students and arrives at the conclusion that there must be another way to pass or fail a student. He has no quotes, or statistics, but he was a professor for many years, and has given many grades and exams. The article to abolish grading was taken from a larger article called, “Compulsory Miseducation and the Community of Scholars.” This article was published in 1966 so the audience that Goodman was writing to is worried about education today and the future, and ways to improve it. Goodman is only making a proposal to do away with the five letter grades you can receive, A, B, C, D, and F, and he is formulating a way to just pass or fail a student based on the knowledge he or she gained in the class. Goodman starts by making a point about lazy students.
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