What Are Grades For, Anyway?

Grades have too many purposes to be useful

Photo by Antoine Dautry on Unsplash

At Harvard in the early 1700s, they ranked students, from the top of the class to the bottom. Class rankings were compiled by the college’s president, and posted for all to see. Those who placed at the top of their class got perks — they lived in better housing and were recognized at graduation. None of this was all that different from the way…