Grades have played a role in perpetuating inequities. How can we use more humane practices to bridge the “grade divide”?

Arthur Chiaravalli, founder of Grow Beyond Grades, lays out his 5 top reasons for eliminating grades and putting the focus on feedback.

To teach about genocide means to call attention to (1) the question of how much power a state should have, (2) the responsibility to center human concerns over political and economic ones, and (3) the way that each institution contributes to the development of a nation. Schools contribute to the development of our nation. What do we contribute if we consistently reduce human complexity to neat, quantifiable measures?

The only reason many of us will stop pushing ourselves to the breaking point is if it turns out that it’s not only bad for us, it’s also bad for students. As Arthur Chiaravalli explains, that actually seems to be the case.

When I jumped into going gradeless, I just wanted everyone to think exactly like I did, an irony lost that was on me at the time.

Is it true that rigid structures are more resistant to gaming? And perhaps even more important, is gaming the system really a bad thing?

As we de-emphasize grades in our classroom, we still have a responsibility to make the larger grammar of schooling intelligible to our students so they can see a clear connection between our assessment and the numbers that will follow them around.

We have become accustomed to equating the student with the grade itself. Consequently, when we utter a number or letter, we believe we have adequately defined human being who sits in our classroom.

In order to be effective, feedback must be relevant, meaningful, specific, frequent, and time-bound. Feedback helps students move forward, question, and grow as learners. If teachers are providing feedback on every piece of student writing, students are not writing enough.

Integrity may not be one of our intended objectives, but it is a lesson that should surpass any Common Core State Standard. Missing an opportunity because of a shortsighted decision misses the point of education.

Measurement requires a standard unit, a recognized standard that can be objectively applied in a context. There is no standard unit of measurement to apply to learning. A skill can be demonstrated, progress can be noted, understanding can be communicated and shared, but not reliably or validly measured.

When Arthur and I first started Teachers Going Gradeless, I don't believe either of us expected to meet such an impressive group of educators. We have invited a few of these teachers to share their gradeless journey. These teachers represent middle through high school and cover all four major content areas.