**Why Is There No E Grade in the Grading System?**
Source: https://sozai.app/transcript/why-dont-use-letter-e-grading/

The letter E was removed from grading because parents confused it with excellent, though it originally meant failing in early grading systems.

## Key Takeaways

- The letter E was removed from grading due to parental confusion.
- The original ABCDE grading system included E as failing.
- Replacing E with F helped clarify failing grades for parents.
- Grading systems evolved to improve communication between schools and families.
- Simple and intuitive grading letters are essential for effective understanding.

## What the video covers

- The letter E was originally used in the ABCDE grading system to indicate failing grades.
- This grading system was first introduced at Mount Holio College in 1897.
- A meant perfect grades while E meant failing in the original system.
- The system was quickly adopted across North America within 20 years.
- The grading system helped teachers communicate student performance to parents efficiently.
- Parents often misinterpreted the letter E as excellent instead of failing.
- This confusion led to misunderstandings about students' academic performance.
- By 1930, schools replaced the letter E with F to clearly indicate failing.
- The letter F was more easily identifiable as a failing grade by parents.
- The change improved clarity in academic grading communication.

Answers

## Questions about this video

Why was the letter E originally used in grading?

The letter E was originally part of the ABCDE grading system introduced in 1897, where it represented failing grades.

Why did schools stop using the letter E in grading?

Schools stopped using the letter E because parents confused it with excellent, not realizing it meant failing, leading to misunderstandings.

What letter replaced E in the grading system and why?

The letter F replaced E by 1930 because it was more clearly identifiable as a failing grade to parents.

## Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

00:00

Speaker A

Fun fact, the reason we don't use the letter E in the academic grading system is because it confused parents, as they thought it meant excellent rather than what it actually meant, which was failing. The ABCDE grading system was

00:12

Speaker A

first introduced at Mount Holio College in 1897, with A meaning perfect grades and E meaning failing. And within 20 years, the system was adopted by almost every school in North America. The reason the system was adopted so quickly

00:24

Speaker A

was because as more people immigrated to the US and as mandatory school attendance laws were introduced, teachers needed a quick and simple way to communicate students' performance to parents. And the letter grading system was pretty easy and intuitive for

00:36

Speaker A

parents to understand, except for the letter E. E meant failing, but most parents would interpret it as excellent and therefore didn't realize their child was struggling with a subject. By 1930, schools had done away with the letter E

00:48

Speaker A

and replaced it with F, as F was easily identifiable as a failing.

Topics: grading system letter E academic grades grading history grading confusion letter F education grading scale school grades fun fact

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