Many of the valedictorians admitted they weren't the smartest students. Instead, they described themselves the hardest workers who gave the teachers what they wanted, rather than exploring the material on a deeper level and taking risks. If grades don't correlate with long-term success, and they take a toll on well being, is there a better approach? In a worldwide study of student assessment, Finland constantly ranks at or near the top and academic achievement, far ahead of the U.S.. In Finland, tests and grades play a much smaller role and Finland is still credited as one of the best systems in the world. 93% of students graduate from academic or vocational secondary schools. For the first six years of school in Finland, there's no measure of a student's academic abilities. The only standardized test given is a final exam at the end of senior year in high school, yet Finland students rank top 10 in the world for academic performance. Year over year, a growing number of educators in the US are calling for new ways to teach kids instead of simply memorizing