Among the damaging notions embraced by our education system is that students need to build self-esteem in school and that just won’t happen if they ever get bad grades. Without smiley faces all the time, kids will get down on learning. Never mind that the no-bad-grades approach also makes life much nicer for the teacher.

Some colleges have also gotten rid of failing grades, but in today’s Martin Center article, Duke student Sherman Criner argues that it’s the wrong move.

He writes:

Rigorous academic standards are a cornerstone of higher education, and the fear of receiving a failing grade has traditionally been a powerful motivator for students to put forth their best efforts. By removing the negative impact of failure from a student’s GPA, there is a risk that some students may become complacent and less driven to excel academically. This could lead to a decline in the student body’s overall academic performance and achievement.

It’s bad enough that, in many colleges, grades below B have almost disappeared. When schools say that Fs may not be given, that further erodes the integrity of higher ed.