If students who put forth a lot of effort received bad grades, they could easily become discouraged. They might give up, believing there's no reason for them to do all the work and still receive horrible grades. Bad grades could lead to disengagement if their effort is not rewarded.
Special Connections recommends giving credit for verifiable effort like "asking questions in class, writing answers to math problems, and turning in homework assignments." These behaviors are normally traits of successful students. However, in some cases, a student simply does not understand the course material; this does not mean the student will not comprehend it in the future. If students are rewarded with good grades for effort, they will more likely continue to put forth quality effort and will in the future be more likely develop better performance.
When the effort versus achievement argument is posed, it usually is raised by students or parents of students who work hard and do not get good grades. An article in the Texas St. University paper starts off saying "University students in the United States believe if they are trying hard, a professor should reconsider their grade." The reverse scenario is rarely discussed. If students were graded by effort, students who were lazy but brilliantly smart would get points deducted for not trying hard. This would serve as a lesson to them because in the working world effort is just as important as intelligence and they need to be pushed to be more balanced.
Many students come to school with family problems out of their control that get in the way of their learning. "These students find the relationship between high effort and low grades unacceptable and, as a result, often express their displeasure with indifference, deception, or disruption," says Thomas R. Guskey. In order to help with their self-esteem and motivation, it is important to reward effort when it is put forth.
Students with disabilities are often included in regular classrooms. Each student with a disability is given a specialized curriculum and goals called an Individual Education Program (IEP). The goal of IEPs is to tailor their course work and offer an alternative method of grading compared to the other students in class. Their work is more graded on effort versus accomplishment. If they were given the same rubric as the general students they would all fail, so effort based grading helps foster inclusion.