Grades are associated with education as much as anything else and, when you think about it, they can potentially impact students in many ways—from their confidence in themselves to their social-emotional strength. Grades are an important part of education—and have been for years. Every student receives these letters (or numbers) and uses them to determine if they did well enough on an assignment, for the quarter, or to move on to the next grade. Of course, this can also create some pressure on students and sometimes lead to shortcomings in their performance. Plus, a grade isn't always indicative of if a student has truly mastered something. But, while going gradeless might seem unique, plenty of educators have made the case and students have benefitted.
Overcoming Fears Around Going Gradeless
Since grades are typically fundamental in education, it’s understandable that teachers would hesitate to do away with them. When we talk about going gradeless, however, we’re not saying that every student should pass every test and every class. Rather, teachers can measure progress in other ways, such as formative assessments or low-stakes projects. This helps remove some of the pressure and free up some extra time for teachers. For a lot of educators, grading is hard work. It's not just adding pressure to students, but also to those who are educating them. Also, discussing grades in or out of the classroom can also make some children feel inferior if they're not as successful. So, the important question is ‘do we really need grades?’
Keeping the quality of learning high.
We generally think of grades as accurate portrayals and spot-on representations of a student’s ability or understanding. When kids are simply receiving a score on a piece of paper, however, they’re not really gaining any insight into why their grade is what it is. It’s important for them to receive actionable feedback so they know what they’re doing well and where they need to improve. Grading approaches can even favor some students over others regarding factors that aren't even academic. At a fundamental level, evaluating student work on a scale of 1-100 and ranking their performance is how grading works. But, this isn't exactly creating a high-quality educational experience for them. Plus, this ranking is often inaccurate because, after all, grades do not—and cannot—tell the whole story.
Fears about going gradeless.
Opinions that educators and administrators have on grades could impact their views on them. Ultimately, teachers may want to do away with grades but this probably isn't completely feasible. What we can do, however, is remove some of the fear tied to going gradeless by uncovering some important points. One of those is that grades don’t encourage improvement. If a student receives a good grade, they will likely be satisfied and, if they receive a bad grade, they will likely feel discouraged. What students need is feedback to truly improve. Also, grades don’t necessarily level the playing field and can, sometimes, create separation between the ‘smart’ and 'not smart' students. They also aren’t always accurate and rarely tell educators all they need to know. Finally, grades do not—and cannot—prepare kids for the real world.
How to Move Past Grading for More Meaningful Learning
When going gradeless (partially or fully), teachers must assess students in other ways to evaluate their progress. In a gradeless classroom, feedback can come in a lot of forms but it's very important. There are many different ways teachers can provide feedback—whether it's formal or informal. Also, if you’re unsure how giving grades got started, you’re probably not alone. However, it's evolved into a standard practice, though we’re not always sure what exactly grades measure. We do know, however, that the top thing many kids stress about in terms of academics is grades. Even early in their lives, they worry about those scores next to a subject on a piece of paper and it can worsen as they get older. There aren’t grades in the real world, however—just opportunities to work towards a common goal, solve problems, and lead.
Learning more by going gradeless.
There’s only so much grades can teach children and it’s more important for them to learn more applicable skills and concepts. There are certainly some strategies for getting around the pressure of grades, starting with simply not grading student work. Some of the best student work comes when there are no grades, strings, or long-term implications tied to it. One other interesting technique is using indicators other than numbers or letters. Teachers could use different symbols to signify different emotions and lighten things up for students. Also, descriptive feedback is just as valuable as a letter grade. With these meaningful comments from their teachers, students can gain more insight into what they should work on.
Other approaches educators could try.
Other ‘going gradeless’ strategies include students negotiating their grades, reflecting on work, and choice menus. Of course, negotiating is a great real-world skill to have, so this could give students some practice. Reflecting on their work and asking students what grade they think they deserve also helps them see what they did well and where to improve. And, choice menus allow students to demonstrate what they know in a different way—letting them get creative and showcase their learning preferences and abilities. There are also various challenges and digital badging techniques teachers can use to assess students without giving grades. Whatever you choose, we'd encourage you to try it out and see how students respond.
Good Practices for a Gradeless Classroom
Students dedicate much of their classroom time to achieving good grades. And, for teachers, much of their classroom time is focused on making sure students learn what they need to know in order to get those good grades. A lot of the time, we call this ‘teaching to the test’—a practice in which educators focus on material students will need to know to pass tests and earn their grades. In a gradeless classroom, however, this is something they can change. The experiences that both students and teachers have will shift—and there's also some skepticism in the air as well. While some might think that a teacher won’t have nearly as much to do in a gradeless environment, this is actually far from the truth. Their responsibilities are definitely still extensive—though they'll differ from what we’re used to.
How this practice affects teachers.
In the past, teacher responsibilities largely consisted of instruction, assigning work, and grading it. If they’re no longer grading work, however, then that’s one thing off the table. And, it they’re not grading work, then they’re probably not assigning anything either. At least, this is what the average person would think when they’re first told about a gradeless classroom. Even though grades are removed in a gradeless classroom, the role of the teacher simply changes but does not diminish. It doesn’t mean that they have less responsibility and accountability, either. In fact, in many cases, the opposite happens. Teachers in gradeless classrooms don't have to adhere to arbitrary and subjective grading systems while ensuring that students progress properly. This means that they can no longer simply give them a score—they must work to understand where each student is at and adjust their instruction and feedback accordingly.
Feedback and assessments instead of grades.
So, there are some best practices for teachers to follow in a gradeless classroom, including providing descriptive feedback. Kids rely on feedback anyway but, without grades, it's much more important. Another is to become a facilitator rather than a disseminator. Teachers should provide students with resources to discover information and explore concepts rather than supplying that information explicitly. Also, teachers must assess students regularly so they can alter their teaching accordingly. Then, there’s the student-led, inquiry-based side of things. When acting as facilitators, teachers can create this kind of environment and let student curiosity drive their learning. Finally, they can try collaborative assessments with a different structure than what they typically use. Mastery—rather than grades—is the focus of these assessments and teachers and students can work together to ensure complete understanding.
Instructional Examples when Going Gradeless
Every educator will probably develop his or her own favorite way to implement gradeless teaching. There are, however, tons of different examples for doing this. Some include introducing simple activities while other approaches are slightly more complex, but each should place students at the center of instruction and encourage teachers to provide useful feedback. One basic strategy for going gradeless is using formative assessments, which we’ve already covered. Rather than giving students a poor grade if they don’t complete what they need to, formative assessments allow them to see where to improve and teachers can allow them to continue trying until they get there.
Unique but effective strategies for teachers.
Another simple example is to mark assignments as complete or incomplete. This allows teachers to see who's turning in their work and spend some extra time with those who aren't. They could also try student self-reflection—getting them involved in the grading process and having them give themselves a fair score. Teachers could also set individual goals for students and challenge them to meet them instead of giving them a grade. Another strategy is giving assessments at different times. Since students learn in different ways and often at different paces, one group may be ready to show their mastery while other students might need more time. As an example, a two-sided rubric with “glows” on one side and “grows” on the other can help teachers assess student performance by providing kids with examples of what they did well and ideas for improving.
Assessing students in gradeless environments.
To help students understand their progress without giving grades, they need feedback that is timely and specific. Teachers can come up with a color-coded system, for example, to indicate what students did well and where they need to improve. Also, giving students responses based on their work can have a lot more meaning to them than a grade—though this applies mostly to younger kids. Reacting with an excited expression can also show students that they’re doing well while looking like you’re ready to work with them more can indicate that they should keep trying. Like we said, these are just some examples and educators who are actually in the classroom can provide many more. It’s also a great idea for teachers to connect with their peers and gain some insight into what really works.
Behind the Gradeless Education Trend
There are many trends that come and go in the education world and there’s no doubt that the ‘going gradeless’ phenomenon earned ‘trend’ status among classroom teachers. It could also end up going either way—popular for a while or eventually losing popularity as something else emerges. At its core, going gradeless essentially means doing away with the traditional A-F grading system and assessing students on their ability to demonstrate mastery. In fact, there's pressure on school leaders to revamp the traditional system and base student advancement entirely on these assessments. Logically, this might make sense, though it seems tough to truly implement. Knowing why the whole gradeless movement emerged, however, could help create some clarity.
Is grading an outdated concept?
Some educators don't believe that grades tell the whole story of student aptitude and intelligence. This has led to alternative grading methods and helped get the gradeless phenomenon started. Essentially, teachers who fight for gradeless learning believe strongly that number or letter scores don't accurately reflect a student’s ability to learn and retain key concepts. Some even say that the whole grading system is just a way to measure who can adjust best to what they need to do to ‘pass’ or who can perform the best on tests rather than when finding creative solutions to problems in groups. So, yes, grades don’t always paint a clear picture of who's learning best—and that’s why some believe they're not necessary anymore.
Connections between grades, tests, and standards.
One argument for the gradeless movement is putting the focus on learning and taking it off of performing well on tests. When students do great things in the classroom or for preparing themselves for the future, it’s much more rewarding than passing a test. Educators who have removed grades from their classrooms also speak about how this helps remove pressures since students aren't held to a certain standard and forced to meet a certain score. It can also cut down on grading that teachers have to do and free up time for them to offer students more one-on-one instruction. Finally, kids don’t feel as punished when they mess up on something. They can see that failures are learning experiences rather than penalties if those failures aren't tied to grades.
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