Grades are associated with education almost as much as anything else and, if you think about it, they often impact children in many ways—from self-confidence to their social-emotional strength. Grades are a very important aspect of education—and have been for years. Every student receives these letters (or numbers) and uses them to determine if they have succeeded on an assignment, for the quarter, or if they're ready to move up to the next grade. Of course, this can also create some pressure on students and sometimes lead to shortcomings in performance. Plus, a grade is not always indicative of a child truly mastering something. But, while going gradeless may seem unique, plenty of teachers make the case and kids can benefit.
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 could measure progress in other ways, such as formative assessments or low-stakes projects. This helps remove some of that 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. Plus, discussing grades in or out of their 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 that grades are accurate portrayals and spot-on representations of a student’s ability or understanding. When students are simply receiving a score on a piece of paper, however, they’re not really gaining any insights 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 kids over others regarding factors that aren't related to academics. At a fundamental level, evaluating student assignments on our scale of 1-100 and ranking their performance is how grading works. But that is not 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 teachers and administrators have on grades can also impact their views on them. Ultimately, teachers may want to do away with grades but this probably isn't completely feasible. What they could do, however, is remove some of this fear tied to going gradeless by uncovering some important points. One of those is that grades do not encourage improvement. If a student receives good grades, they will likely feel satisfied and, if they receive bad grades, they will likely feel discouraged. What they need, however, is real feedback in order to truly improve. Also, grades don’t necessarily level the playing field and, instead, may sometimes create separation between ‘smart’ and 'not smart' students. They also aren’t always accurate and rarely tell educators everything. 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 then assess children in other ways to evaluate their progress. In a gradeless classroom, feedback may come in many forms but it is super important. There are many different ways teachers can provide feedback—whether it is formal or informal. Also, if you’re unsure how giving grades got started, you’re probably not all 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'll worry about those scores next to a subject on a piece of paper and it can worsen as they get older. There aren’t usually grades in the real world, however—just opportunities to work towards common goals, 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 pressures of grades, starting with simply not grading students' work. Some of the best student work comes from there being no tangible grades, strings, and long-term implications tied to it. Another interesting approach involves using indicators other than numbers or letters. Educators can use different symbols to signify different emotions and lighten things up for students. Also, descriptive feedback is just as valuable as a letter grade. Using these personal and meaningful comments from their teachers, students gain more insight into what they should work on.
Other approaches educators could try.
Other ‘going gradeless’ strategies include children 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 children to demonstrate what they know in a different way—helping them get creative and showcasing 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 all students learn what they need to know in order to earn those good grades. A lot of the time, we call this ‘teaching to the test’—a practice in which teachers will focus on material students will need to know to pass tests and earn their grades. In a gradeless classroom, however, this is something that they can change. The experience that both children and teachers have will shift—and there's often 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, educator responsibilities largely consisted of instruction, assigning work, and grading it. If they are no longer grading work, however, then that is one thing off their plates. 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 as they’re initially told about gradeless classrooms. Though grades are removed in a gradeless classroom, the role of the teacher simply changes but does not diminish. This doesn’t mean they have less responsibility and accountability, either. In fact, in many cases, the opposite happens. Teachers in gradeless classrooms won't need to adhere to arbitrary and subjective grading systems while ensuring students are progressing properly. This means 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 always key best practices for educators to follow in gradeless classrooms, including regularly sharing 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. Educators should provide kids with resources for discovering information and exploring various concepts rather than supplying that information explicitly. Also, teachers must assess children regularly so they can alter their teaching accordingly. Then, there’s the student-led, inquiry-based side of the learning. When acting as facilitators, teachers can create this kind of environment and let student curiosities drive this learning. Finally, they could try collaborative assessments with different structures than what they'd 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 ways to implement gradeless teaching. There are, however, tons of different ways of doing this. Some include introducing simplistic activities while other approaches are slightly more complex, but each should place students at the center of the instruction and encourage teachers to provide useful feedback. One basic strategy for going gradeless is to use formative assessments, which we have already covered. Rather than giving students a poor and permanent grade if they don’t complete what they need to, formative assessments allow them to see what to improve on 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 instructors to see who's turning in their work and spend some extra time with those who aren't. They could even try student self-reflection—getting them involved in the grading process and having them give themselves a fair score. Educators could also set individual goals for students and challenge them to meet these rather than giving them a grade. Another strategy is giving assessments at different times. Because children learn in different ways and often at different paces, one group might feel ready to show their mastery, while other students may need additional 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 kids to understand their progress without giving grades, they need feedback that's both 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 actual work can have a lot more meaning to them than grades—although that applies more to younger ones. 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 instructors who are actually in these classrooms can provide many more. It’s also a smart 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 not much doubt that the ‘going gradeless’ phenomenon earned ‘trend’ status among classroom teachers. It could also end up going either way—popular for a while and eventually losing popularity if something else emerges. At its true core, going gradeless essentially means doing away with the traditional A-F grading system and assessing children on their ability to demonstrate mastery. In fact, there's sometimes pressure on school leaders to revamp their traditional systems and base student advancement completely on this. Logically, this can make sense but 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 won't ever accurately reflect a student’s ability to learn and retain all of the most crucial concepts. Some people also argue 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 well on tests rather than how they'd find creative solutions to problems in groups. So, yes, grades don’t always paint a clear picture of who's learning best—why some believe they're no longer necessary.
Connections between grades, tests, and standards.
One argument for the gradeless movement is putting more focus on learning and taking it off of performing well on tests. When children do great things in the classroom or when preparing themselves for their future, it is usually more rewarding than passing a test. Teachers who have removed grades from their classrooms also speak about how this can help remove pressures since children are not held to a certain standard and forced to meet a certain score. It could also cut down on grading that teachers have to do and free up time for them to offer children more one-on-one instruction. Finally, kids don’t feel as punished when they mess up on something. They can better understand that failures are learning experiences rather than penalties if the failures aren't tied to grades.
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