Let’s Talk About Havergal’s Grading System
Written by Elise Su
Edited by Dominique Cao
Cover Image by Leyao Xiao
We all have probably experienced first-hand the effects of Havergal grading system, and I’m sure we’ve all heard complains about it. Although Havergal is not unique in that many other schools also share the four-point grading system, I believe the Gradebook system is somewhat unique. It can seem impossibly hard sometimes to raise a grade but somehow incredibly easy to drop one (and trust me, I’ve experienced this more times than I can count). The main reason for this, however, is because Gradebook emphasizes consistency, so if you have a string of “bad” grades, a “good” grade might not raise your overall grade as much as you expect.
Another complaint I’ve heard about the downside of this grading system was about the dramatic jumps from each level to another. For some classes, one mistake can get you from a 4+ (100) to a 4 (94), and maybe if it’s major enough, even to a 4- (85). This careless mistake can knock your grade down 6-14%.
There is also something to be said about the provincial standard, a 3 (75). For many high achieving students (which I assure you is the most of Havergal), getting a 3 is a death sentence, especially when you have strict parents. Okay… it’s not that dramatic, but it can feel like that sometimes - especially when Havergal students place such a high emphasis on grades. Especially with Havergal’s competitive environment, being upset about a 3 isn’t exactly best taken when someone says “it's the provincial standard” even though this same person has been getting 4s and 4+s. Like yeah, it’s easy for you to say (this is not personal, I swear). But the problem is not that I got a 3, but that I was stressing about this one grade and comparing myself to friends who got better grades than me. Many students who have been in similar situations have probably found themselves placing additional stress and pressure on themselves, which at times could, arguably, be good if they improve themselves, but at other times, can end up with a trip to the guidance office with a face full of tears.
This is not to say that Havergal’s grading is completely “rigged” (as one student describes it), Havergal’s grading system has some positive aspects too! For instance, it’s not IB.
Anyways, here are some student testimonials. This is what Carol Rong, a grade 10 student has to say:
I find Havergal’s grading system a good representation of my overall performance. My most consistent marks gets weighed over lower outliers and it helps to know that you don’t have to be perfect all the time. However, gradebook is far from perfect, often unnecessarily dragging down my mark. In several instances, gradebook weights consistency over performance and flushes out my hard work. It can be frustrating knowing you did well yet your mark will be unaffected. Bottom line, the Havergal grading system is usually fair, reflective of my efforts, but at times I reminisce about the straightforward percentage grades used in other high schools.
Carol brings up a good point about how gradebook should be perhaps less focused on consistency, which is something that Coco Zhang, agrees with:
I honestly feel like Havergal students are overly stressed over the grading system. Personally, I think for many of my subjects, it is fairly easy to achieve a high mark, however, for subjects that require further grading and in-depth analyzing (for the teachers), it could be easily reduced due to simple mistakes. For instance, after achieving a high mark, having a lower mark on the following assessment would lower the mark by a lot and many students would feel like giving up because of their "back-and-forth" grades. I think a solution to the problem is mitigating the grading system more on personal improvement and not just strictly following the grading rubric. A teacher that did a really good job at this was Mr.X, he is able to encourage students in their work by giving personal feedback and discussing the marks with students, and helping them with how they could make it better. Overall, I think the grading system is not awful but there could be areas of improvement.
In the end, I think an overall lesson that could be taken away from this article would be to not stress yourself over a simple bad grade! Especially as I’ve been progressing to higher grades, more and more students are concerned about achieving this idea of perfection. This isn’t completely unwarranted, as I do realize that it is a good thing to strive for self improvement and to better your grades—but to an extent. I cannot express how many times I’ve seen crying at the lunch tables and heated complaints in the halls over grades. And I have to admit, I’ve also complained a few times. Unless you have failed your final exam, and the grade has quite literally ruined your life because now no colleges will accept you and you will never be able to find a job, then take a deep breath and relax. Focus on fixing your mistakes and developing new study techniques instead of crying over a level 3. Talk to your teachers about your grades and how you can improve, and lastly, stop comparing yourselves to others, but rather to your past self (ask yourself questions like: have your improved? And if not, why?). By doing this, I wish you the best of luck in the 2023 school year!