Can someone please tell me why the US gradeschool (even up through highschool) usesthe “A, B, C,D and F” system to grade? Why did they exclude the E?
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The letter grading system was invented in the late 1800s in Massachusetts. The earliest known letter grade is a “B” on an assignment at Harvard in the early 1880s, but there is no context left to interpret its significance. At nearby Mount Holyoke, we know in ~~1887~~1897 they gave grades of A-E, with E being a failing grade. Soon after an F was added, then soon after that the E disappeared, but no one knows why. I found some articles speculating people thought it would be misinterpreted as “excellent,” but every source is worded similarly, and none cited anything, which makes me think it is entirely speculative, and it gets repeated because it sounds good and is mildly plausible. But no one knows for sure!
(There appears to be an ESNU system in use in parts of the US, excellent/satisfactory/needs improvement/unsatisfactory. This adds plausibility to dropping E due to possible confusion. )
Edit: Thanks for all the examples of the ESNU system still in place.
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