Tell Me About . . .
ATime When Grades Were Motivating—Or Not
extremely hard on a research paper, revising and
editing to make sure it delivered the message
I intended. I was so proud of the paper and
looked forward to getting feedback from the
teacher. But when it was returned a few days
later, the teacher had simply given me a perfect score and written the words “Good job!”
Although I should have been elated at the grade,
I was disappointed—I wanted feedback. This
event informed my own grading practices as
a teacher. We can help students improve their
learning by using rubrics and taking the time to
write comments. Feedback, not grades, is the
key to learning.
—Cathy Hix, K– 12 social studies specialist,
Arlington County Public Schools, Virginia
D for Devastation
I still recall the excitement I felt as a child when
the teacher handed out report cards each quarter.
I felt a sense of satisfaction that my hard work
had paid off. It took only one report card my 6th
grade year to change my perspective. I remember
vividly the moment I slipped out the yellow copy
of the report card and saw my grade in math—
a D. I had never received any grade lower than a
C, and as a young perfectionist I was devastated.
My homework and assignments all quarter had
indicated I was doing OK. The next day, I asked
my teacher to double-check because I was sure
he had made a mistake. He responded, “No, it is
correct—you bombed the last test.” That event
shaped my assessment practices as a teacher.
Throughout my 18 years in the classroom, I
always ensured accurate assessment of student
learning based on multiple measures, not a
single test.
—Lori Mora, assistant principal,
Deer Valley Middle School, Phoenix, Arizona
Grades Became the Goal
—Denise Rawding, teacher,
about the assignment.
ing itself.
I Wanted More Than “Good Job”
When I was in school, I was a diligent worker.
In high school, I remember averaging my grades
I remember a college class in which I worked
for the four marking periods in every course to
determine what I needed to score on the final
exam to get an A or a B for the course. If getting
a low grade on the final wouldn’t affect my year-
end average, I wouldn’t study for the final. Sad
to say, I was motivated by the final course grade
and not the learning that went into it.
Central Avenue School, Madison, New Jersey
When Assignments Seem Dumb
I once overheard two students discussing an
assignment they had received in another class
that they agreed was a waste of time. Because I
knew both students to be bright and capable, my
interest was piqued, and I asked them to tell me
All students had been assigned to complete
an acrostic, purportedly to help them learn the
chapter’s vocabulary. One student, Mandy, who
later became high school valedictorian, intended
to complete the assignment, saying she needed
the points. Dana, who was later double accel-
erated and graduated from college at age 19,
would not consider doing the assignment, saying
she had better ways to spend her time. These
two students represent a classic motivational
dichotomy: Mandy was highly intelligent and
was motivated by point accumulation; Dana was
an intellectual who was motivated by the learn-
When assignments are neither rigorous nor
relevant, grades will not motivate our most intel-
lectual students. These students may become
selective consumers: They lose “points” and risk
opprobrium—and we risk losing them.
—Steve Schroeder-Davis, curriculum specialist,
Elk River Public Schools, Minnesota
