I hate grades, who on Earth invented them?

It’s a quote I’m sure a lot of parents heard. Though to be more precise, students (of all ages up to college students) don’t hate grades, they actually hate the stress induced by graded assessments and the possibility of failure. Heck, I’ve finished school 20 years ago and I still have nightmares from time to time about failing an exam. Brrr!

This does bring a question, who on Earth invented assessments and inevitably grades?

Grades as we know them were first introduced in the late 19th century. A college added a standardized grading system, using the letters A, B, C, D, and E (later changed to F) to indicate a student’s performance in each course. The practice quickly spread to other institutions, and by the early 20th century, grading had become a common practice in most schools and universities in the United States.

But they weren’t invented in the US, the concept of grading was used in ancient civilizations (i.e. Greece and Rome), where students were often ranked based on their performance, most using a pass/fail system with the best students receiving the highest honors and rewards.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela

To stop divagating, if you hear your offspring again saying that they hate grades, just tell them that it’s not the end of the world if they get a bad grade, and help them relieve the stress and pressure of assessments. Afterall, education and the pursuit of excellence are key factors in achieving academic success, but that’s more of a end goal rather than the norm.

I ended up with the same dilemma, helping my son to cope with the pressure of school and achieving the educational goal he wants to reach. Based on the principle that there’s for sure an app that does this, my search led me to Top Grades for Android.

The App that helps

Top Grades is an Android app that helps students who want to stay on top of their academic performance and manage the associated stress in a better way. With Top Grades students can effortlessly track progress throughout semesters and gain insight into the grades needed to achieve the desired academic goal.

Whether it’s used by a high-school student striving for a specific GPA / earning a scholarship, or by a college student that wants to pass cum laudae, Top Grades can help. It has a simple interface that lets students define classes, add assessments and current grades, and see in real time their academic standing.

Top Grades for Android doesn’t have a plethora of features, rather it offers exactly the ones you need to keep track of grades. From adding grades for each assignment or exam, to calculating the current grade and predict the grades needed to achieve a desired outcome, here’s an overview of what it offers:

User-friendly interface. Top Grades’ interface makes it easy to navigate and understand it without any extra tutorials. You can easily add your own structured classes and assessments with score and weight. The app also allows you to view assessment details per class.

Assessments. You add classes and then for each you can add the assessments, with the obtained score and the weight in the final grade.

Automatic grade calculation. One of the app’s most convenient features is its automatic calculation of mean grade, min/max grade possible, and grade evolution. This allows seeing the grade progress throughout the semester and make adjustments to the study plan accordingly.

Future grade required. Top Grades can calculate your final grade and predict the future grade required to achieve a final grade (50/65/75/85 percentile).

Charts. If you’re a visual person, like me, you’ll see that the in-class charts help the most. For each class you can see a chart that compares the maximum grade possible, with the currently awarded grades. Ideally they’d both be flatlined on 100% but we can’t all be Einstein.

App login. For convenience and security, Top Grades requires you to login. This helps to keep track of classes, assessments, and grades. This feature ensures that your data is safe and easily accessible from any device.

Google Play Promo Codes

In conclusion, if you are a student (or the parent of one) you’ll find in Top Grades an excellent mobile partner that helps stay on top of academic goals. The app is paid however the developer agreed to share some Google Play Promo Codes exclusively for our readers, that unlock the full version. Just use any of the promo codes below to unlock the full version of Top Grades (these are valid until June 5th, 2023):

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You can download the app directly from Google Play here: Top Grades for Android