Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether children should be praised frequently or not, and cast your vote by the end of November 2015. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our October 2015 poll was about whether grades reflect a student’s intelligence:

Grades reflect a student’s intelligence; because they are the most reasonable way of differentiating between those who made the effort to study, understand and apply knowledge and those who didn’t.

• I agree. Grades reflect a student’s mastery of a subject. Grades may not reflect someone’s intelligence perfectly, but they are the closest marker of true assessment. (22%, 11 Votes)

• I disagree. Intelligence is too multifaceted to be determined by grades. Grades merely reflect a student’s level of interest in a topic, his test-taking skills and his memory. (78%, 39 votes)

The majority of those who responded to this poll (78%) think that grades do not reflect a student’s intelligence. These respondents believe that grades mainly reflect a student’s interest in a subject and his proficiency in taking tests. On the other hand, a minority (22%) of those who responded believe that grades are a reliable indicator of intelligence, because they come very close to measuring learning.