In most of my classes, including health, world history, math, biology, Spanish, and English, students grade other students’ tests and quizzes in class. Why take our valuable class time to do something so unnecessary?

Let’s start at the root of this problem. Why do we grade tests, quizzes, and homework in class? The main reason is the teacher. Their excuse is usually “I don’t have enough time” or “This way it gets done faster”. The truth is, the teachers just don’t want to grade their students’ papers! The teachers assign the students a lot of homework, but the teachers also have homework in return, which is grading papers and making their lesson plan. And they make the students do THEIR homework! But what are the consequences of this? By having other students grade papers, the teacher has just made a big mistake. And I’m pretty sure it violates some educator’s law about letting students see other students’ grades.

The obvious point of this is that students will see others’ grades. Most people feel uncomfortable about having others see their grades. It could be because they don’t do very well in school. By uncovering their grades, they could be teased. I, too, don’t want others to see my grades. Even if it is a good grade, I just don’t feel right when we grade papers in class.

Secondly, there is a much greater chance of flaws in the grading system. Students often miss an incorrect answer or accidentally mark a correct answer wrong. Students can also make mistakes when calculating the final grade or adding up points. Another big problem is students grading their friends’ papers. When this occurs, the friend is much easier on grading their paper. They may give them an ‘A’ when they actually deserve a ‘C’ or ‘D’. Some teachers say they will double-check the scores later. Sometimes this never happens. But even if it does, why waste time double-checking it if the teacher could have just checked it herself the first time?

Also, grading in class takes up class time. The class time could be used for learning or for starting that night’s homework assignment. They could also study, even talk with a friend! But instead, the teacher takes the risk of grading papers in class. And the ironic thing is that the teachers say they don’t have enough time in class!

This is just my opinion, and a lot of people will have a different one. I hope that in the future, teachers will start to understand what kind of problem this may pose as, even if doesn’t seem all that obvious.