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Volume 14  |  Issue 31  |  July 11, 2019

Can You Go Gradeless?

What role should grades play in student assessment? An increasing number of educators are trying out a no-grades classroom, replacing a traditional A–F system with methods that encourage students to take charge of their learning progress.

In this issue, researchers and educators discuss their preferred approach to alternative assessment and how they fairly gauge and report students' learning when more familiar tactics are off the table. Most revolutionary, educators say, are the options that inspire student-led learning and increase motivation in the classroom. As one teacher who gave up grading tells her students, "You are a person, not a mark."


Features

A Perfect World Is One with No Grades

Susan M. Brookhart

High-quality feedback should describe work against criteria students themselves understand and suggest attainable next steps at the appropriate level of challenge.

A Formative Assessment Compromise to the Grading Debate

Deborah E. Burns and Jeanne H. Purcell

Instead of viewing the grading debate as an all-or-nothing proposition, why not honor the need for measurement and communication and address the importance of student motivation and ownership?

Strategies for Diving into Successful Grading Reform

Jay C. Percell

Points and averages mask what students actually know and are able to do. Try this advice for breaking free from traditional grades.

Grading for Mastery, Not Mystery

Lee Westberry

How are students doing in relation to the standards? A straightforward reporting system gives students the information to take ownership of learning.

Throw Out Your 100-Point Scale (Video)

Grading Smarter, Not Harder author Myron Dueck makes the case for assessment that empowers learners.

More Teachers Are Going Gradeless. I Asked Them Why.

Terry Whitmell

Do you have students who ignore your feedback? Do you need more data to ensure that you are meeting curriculum requirements? A shift away from marks addresses these concerns.

Overcoming the F.E.A.R. of No Grades

Marc Scott

The real world does not eliminate re-dos; it encourages them. Isn't it somewhat arrogant to refuse the same opportunities for students?


More On This Topic

Rethinking Grading

Catlin Tucker

Making mastery, not points, the reward for your students.

Five Obstacles to Grading Reform

Thomas R. Guskey

Education leaders must recognize obstacles to grading reform that are rooted in tradition—and then meet them head on.

Copyright © 2019 by ASCD

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