more noxious layers beneath: extrinsic
these schools point out that their
can be invited to participate in the
motivation, numerical ratings, and the
students are often more motivated and
process either as a negotiation (with the
tendency to emphasize achievement at
proficient learners, and thus better
teacher having the final say) or by sim-
the expense of learning.
prepared for college, than their counter- ply grading themselves. If people find
If we begin with a desire to assess
parts at traditional schools who have
that idea alarming, it’s probably because
more often, or to produce more data,
been preoccupied with grades. (Col-
they realize it creates a more democratic
or to improve the consistency of our
grading, then certain prescriptions
lege admission is no bar to eliminat-
ing grades in elementary and middle
classroom, one in which teachers must
create a pedagogy and a curriculum
will follow. If, however, our point of
schools because colleges are largely
that will truly engage students rather
departure is the desire for students to
indifferent to what students have done
than use grades to coerce them into
understand ideas from the inside out, or before high school.)
doing whatever they’re told. In fact,
to get a kick out of playing with words
Even when administrators aren’t
negative reactions to this proposal (“It’s
and numbers, or to be in charge of their ready to abandon traditional report
unrealistic!”) point up how grades
own learning, then we may come to see
grading as a huge, noisy, fuel-guzzling,
smoke-belching machine that constantly
requires repairs and new parts, when
what we should be doing is pulling the
plug.
I spoke recently to several middle
“de-graded” their classes. Jeff Robbins,
who has taught 8th grade science in
New Jersey for 15 years, concedes that
“life was easier with grades” because
meaningful assessment. That efficiency
came at a huge cost, though: Kids were
stressed out and also preferred to avoid
intellectual risks: “They’ll take an easier
assignment that will guarantee the A.”
Initially, Robbins announced that
any project or test could be improved
Unfortunately, that failed to address the
underlying problem, and he eventually
their parents have been shown the
cards, individual teachers can help
realized he had to stop grading entirely.
relevant research, reassured about their rescue learning in their own classrooms Now, he offers comments to all of his
concerns, and invited to participate in
with a two-pronged strategy to “neuter
125 students and makes abbreviated
constructing alternative forms of assess- grades,” as one teacher described it.
notes in his grade book. At the end of
ment, the abolition of grades proves to
be not only realistic but also an enor-
First, they can stop putting letter or
number grades on individual assign-
the term, he grabs each student for a
brief conversation, asking what they
mous improvement over the status quo. ments and instead offer only qualitative learned and how they learned it. “Only
Sometimes it’s only after grading has
feedback. Report cards are bad enough; at the very end do I ask what grade will
ended that we realize just how harmful the destructive effects are compounded reflect it . . . and we’ll collectively arrive
it has been.
when students are rated on what they
at something.” Like many other teachers
To address one common fear, the
do in school day after day. Teachers can I’ve spoken to over the years, Robbins
graduates of grade-free high schools
mitigate considerable harm by replac-
says he almost always accepts students’
are indeed accepted by selective private ing grades with authentic assessments,
suggestions because they typically pick
colleges and large public universities—
and as we’ve seen, the feedback they
the same grade that he would have.
on the basis of narrative reports and
offer becomes much more useful in the
Jim Drier, an English teacher at
detailed descriptions of the curriculum
absence of letter or number ratings.
Mundelein High School in Illinois who
(as well as recommendations, essays,
Second, although teachers may be
has about 90 students ranging “from
and interviews), which collectively offer required to submit a final grade, they
at-risk to AP,” was relieved to find
a fuller picture of the applicant than
are not required to decide unilaterally
that it “really doesn’t take that long” to
does a grade point average. Moreover,
what that grade will be. Thus, students write at least a brief note on students’
