Swedish Grading System Proposal Criticized for Detaching Grades from Knowledge

A proposed new grading system in Sweden is facing criticism from special educator Anna Insulander, who argues it will fail to achieve its stated goal of making grades more equitable. Instead, Insulander contends, the system will be governed by mathematical principles that dictate grade distribution, rather than reflecting students' actual knowledge.

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The proposed grades mean – like the relative grades we had during the period 1962-1994 – that mathematical principles will control how large a proportion of students can achieve a certain grade/merit value.

"The proposed grades mean – like the relative grades we had during the period 1962-1994 – that mathematical principles will control how large a proportion of students can achieve a certain grade/merit value," Insulander wrote in an opinion piece for Dagens Nyheter. She points out that the distribution will ultimately depend on the results of national tests, a mechanism intended to prevent grade inflation but which she believes has serious unintended consequences.

Insulander's primary concern is that by imposing external controls on grade distribution, the system disconnects grades from genuine academic achievement. "Grades lose their connection to students' knowledge," she stated. This detachment, she argues, eliminates the ability for teachers to clearly communicate expectations for specific grade levels, thereby hindering the learning process. The pedagogical function of grades is lost, and the system becomes inherently inequitable.

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Grades lose their connection to students' knowledge.

"And when grades are detached from knowledge, it is no longer possible to talk about what is required for a certain grade," Insulander explained. "Then teachers can no longer communicate to their students in advance what is expected for a certain grade level, which will worsen learning." She concludes that students with equivalent knowledge might receive vastly different grades, and conversely, students with the same grade may possess entirely different levels of understanding, rendering the grades meaningless as indicators of actual competence.

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And when grades are detached from knowledge, it is no longer possible to talk about what is required for a certain grade. Then teachers can no longer communicate to their students in advance what is expected for a certain grade level, which will worsen learning.