I think the fundamental issue is that no one asks the simple question, "What is the goal of testing/grading?" I think is in order for the _student_ to evaluate

I think the fundamental issue is that no one asks the simple question, "What is the goal of testing/grading?" I think is in order for the _student_ to evaluate their mastery of the given discipline. Everything else, I feel, stems from a distortion of this process for other purposes. As for grading in schools, I cannot say anything reasonable because I got good grades, although I hated school. However, I recall my art teacher in middle school who would sit you down and ask you about your aim with your work and what you thought you deserved, and then she'd settle on a grade. I found it really strange, because I was too young to understand. I would often overestimate my grade, but what she wanted of me was to figure out what I expected of myself and to develop the ability to evaluate that. It's profound that someone would want that of you at 12 years of age. I'll never forget it, though I only understood it many, many years later.