It’s the end of the first quarter. Grade time! I used to feel better about summing up the final grades for a period. I think that fifteen years ago, when I started, grades more accurately reflected what the students were learning. Today though, many students just don’t care what grade they get. Testing, as I’ve said before, doesn’t offer any better assessment. Students care even less about passing standardized tests than they do about passing classes. If you want students to be really motivated, stop assigning ratings to the schools. Assign them to the parents. Give the parents who have students who pass standardized tests a five hundred dollar tax break, then see how many students will be motivated. See how many schools are “failing” then!