Teachers are often concerned about going gradeless in an AP classroom because the classroom context is inherently tied to content more than learning skills. My lived experience says otherwise.

Everything in Mike McAteer’s class begins with the end in mind. But instead of focusing on the endpoint of a summative assessment, he asks the question: What do I want to read in my students’ reflections?

After a school-wide discussion on assessment practices, Rhonda Higgins found herself wondering: could this be an opportunity to shift the mindset of students from getting a good grade to learning the Spanish language?

In her transition to a gradeless math class, Lauren Thurber wondered: Were my eleven and twelve-year-old students ready for this responsibility?

Although most gradeless teachers engage in “subtraction,” removing traditional grading from our classrooms, we also need “addition” in the form of new infrastructure that connects our individual efforts to the larger systems students must navigate. 

I began my tenth year of teaching with an uneasiness about the pandemic but also optimism about new approaches to learning. This year would forever change the way I teach.

Portfolios empower students to look back on their learning, feel good about whey they accomplished, and consider how they can use what they have learned in the world beyond.

As schools reconvened on Thursday, January 7, many teachers faced two tasks: helping students make sense of yet another traumatizing “day after”—and getting them prepared for end-of-semester tests.

A week ago, we reached out to our community about their questions about labor-based grading as developed by Professor Asao B. Inoue of Arizona State University. In this post, he answers our questions!

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.

Many teachers are not in a position to go entirely gradeless, but there are still ways to “grow beyond grades.” Economics teacher Vanessa Ellis shares how she has shifted the focus toward feedback and growth, despite having to still enter grades.

Writers understand that writing requires revision, tinkering, and mistakes. Lots and lots of it. Most student writers, however, don’t welcome failure and mistakes so easily. Why?