Regardless of whether we care about grades, they are still an obstacle we must address. Going gradeless requires that teachers be especially proactive and open in their communication. In addition to adopting instruction and assessment practices that are accessible and equitable, it is equally important we convey these approaches so they are easily understood by all interested parties.

Vanessa is an 8th-grade social studies teacher at Veterans Memorial Middle School in Columbus, Georgia. In 2017, Vanessa was named a Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year. This year, she officially joined our team here at TG2 and is currently one of ten finalists for Georgia Teacher of the Year. She resides in Midland, Georgia, with her husband and three children.

I want you to be able to rely on the skills we practice. But more than that, I want you to be able to make purposeful, savvy decisions about why you are writing in the way that you’re writing. This skill, more than any other, is what will serve you well in the future.

When we focus on assessment as a means of communication with and alongside our learners, it leaves space for their inner stories to be told and included. We are building the foundation for student-to-self and student-to-material relationships that can serve well beyond the confines of curricula and classrooms.

Including behaviors in the grade opens the door to the influence of implicit bias. Still, we know that soft skills and work habits are critical to student success. Rachael Kettner Thompson shares how she helps students to reflect on and communicate their growth in these crucial skills…outside of the grade.

In this episode of TG2Chat Live! we learn more about metacognition and student reflection from Rachael.

In this episode of TG2Chat LIVE! well known educator and author, Rick Wormeli, discusses how educators can better communicate learning with students and stakeholders.

Grades are so much a part of our own learning experiences and the tools available to teachers today it might be hard to imagine your school without grades. But a it’s possible—and powerful—when you can make it happen! 

What happens when we decenter our authority in the classroom? How does such decentering facilitate communicating with our students about their learning? These and other questions led us to try a radical experiment. 

Learning is perhaps one of the most vulnerable tasks we ask young people to engage in. Every day, we tell students to walk into our classroom, sit down, listen, engage, follow rules, take risks, and be judged by someone who may not be justly judging.

Rachael Kettner-Thompson explains how she uses a Google Forms add-on to help students communicate a treasure trove of learning, providing timely information for parents and helpful feedback for teachers to improve their practice.

Education professor Paul Thomas shares why grades, tests, and rubrics detract significantly from effective teaching and actually create the problems many teachers seem to be inordinately worried about.