Do grades provide an accurate snapshot of a student鈥檚 performance? Or are they anxiety-producing scores that prevent educators from focusing on true learning?
In an Education Week opinion essay by Mark Barnes, the creator and publisher of the popular Hack Learning book series, he writes that gradeless classrooms are a 鈥渂rave new world鈥� that more educators need to embrace.
鈥淭eachers would learn how to effectively assess academic performance, and students would become independent learners, driven by curiosity and inspiration rather than by the empty promise of a 鈥榞ood鈥� grade or the threat of a 鈥榖ad鈥� one,鈥� Barnes writes.
See the full essay: No, 69传媒 Don鈥檛 Need Grades
School districts across the country have been questioning and even replacing the traditional grading system with more experimental practices. These practices include standards-based grading, in which students receive detailed feedback on how well they have mastered specific course objectives, and competency-based learning, in which students can show what they know and progress toward mastery at their own pace. (For a breakdown of the differences between the two practices, .)
And some school districts have implemented 鈥渘o zero鈥� policies, so that students who finish their assignments will receive at least a score of 50. The idea is that this allows struggling students to stay motivated and stay in school鈥攊t鈥檚 easier for students to recover from a 50 than a zero. (The District of Columbia has a 鈥渘o zero鈥� policy, which is explored in Education Week鈥檚 and NPR鈥檚 podcast series, Raising Kings. It鈥檚 interesting to hear from educators who both oppose and support the policy.)
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But many teachers are skeptical of the idea of throwing out the gradebook entirely. In the comments section of Barnes鈥� essay, many weighed in with their concerns:
鈥淭his builds no work ethic or personal responsibility; these are the biggest problems we have in our classrooms and the workplace today,鈥� one commenter said.
鈥淚 have a hard time accepting that 4th graders don鈥檛 need letter grades in math,鈥� another commenter wrote. 鈥淚t would be nice if they did not, but it鈥檚 probably not reality.鈥�
Another commenter put it this way:
If I had to peg a number to it, I'd say about 60 percent of middle class suburban kids (the kind I teach) would find a grade-less classroom quite rewarding, if more choice were allowed. 20 percent would probably not be affected at all and would perform the same, either way. But another 20 percent would see this as a field day to goof off more than they do already. No grades? No tests that mean anything (because there are no grades)? Party time! You would need to start a system like this in kindergarten and let that class work its way up if you truly wanted systemic change and to alter mindsets about the purpose of school and learning. Old, ingrained habits die pretty damn hard."
Still, there are many educators who are excited about the idea of a gradeless classroom.
One commenter wrote that not giving grades does build a strong work ethic and a sense of personal responsibility: The current system 鈥渄ecreases autonomous motivation and does not support competency,鈥� the commenter wrote.
A % or number grade doesn鈥檛 really mean anything unless the subject has right & wrong answers--which many don鈥檛. Often, being able to recall 鈥榯he鈥� correct answer, like a date, is a lower level thinking skill. Creativity and deep understanding can鈥檛 be assessed with %.
-- Barbara Larochelle (@BarbLarochelle)
Education Week Teacher opinion blogger Starr Sackstein frequently writes about . 鈥淟earning ends when you put a grade on something,鈥� she once wrote. 鈥�, it鈥檚 about mastery.鈥�
In this video, she shares six tips for going gradeless and focusing on ongoing learning:
And Barnes gave another four pieces of advice for teachers鈥攊ncluding asking students to grade themselves and being transparent with parents.
Teachers, would you consider going gradeless? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or .
And for more 鈥渂ig ideas鈥� like going gradeless, check out Education Week鈥檚 full report, featuring essays on improving student motivation and parent engagement.