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Volume 14 | Issue 31 | July 11, 2019
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."
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.
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?
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.
Lee Westberry
How are students doing in relation to the standards? A straightforward reporting system gives students the information to take ownership of learning.
Grading Smarter, Not Harder author Myron Dueck makes the case for assessment that empowers learners.
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.
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?
Catlin Tucker
Making mastery, not points, the reward for your students.
Thomas R. Guskey
Education leaders must recognize obstacles to grading reform that are rooted in tradition—and then meet them head on.
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