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Jesse Stommel on ungrading#

See also: ungrading, teaching

Summary and reflections on a twitter thread on ungrading from Jesse Stommel

Ungrading: an Introduction#

Problem with grades#

I would argue grading, by any of our conventional academic metrics, undermines the work:

  • Grades are not good incentive.
  • Grades are not good feedback.
  • Grades encourage competitiveness over collaboration.
  • Grades are not good markers of learning.
  • Grades don't reflect the idiosyncratic, subjective, emotional character of learning.
  • Grades aren't “fair.”

Origins of grades#

  • Prior to 1700s, performance and feedback are idiosyncratic
  • First grading apparently in 1785, in Yale
  • A-F systems emerged in 1898 and "E" in the 1930s
  • 100 point scale/% common in the early 1900s.
  • Letter grades not widely used until 1940s, in 1971, 67% of primary & secondary schools using them
  • "objective" grading created to scale systematised schooling.

"Toward standardization and away from subjectivity, human relationships, and care.

Good demo re: institutional mission statements

Academic misconduct#

Cites research that shows academic integrity has been an issue since at least the 60s.

Alternatives#

Freire and "problem-posing education" - start by trusting students.

Alternative Forms of Assessment:

  • Minimal Grading: Using scales with fewer gradations to make grading “simpler, fairer, clearer” (Elbow)
  • Contract Grading: Grading contracts convey expectations about what is required for each potential grade. Students work toward the grade they want to achieve, and goalposts don’t unexpectedly shift.
  • Authentic Assessment: Having students write for real-world audiences, focusing on intrinsic motivations, and drawing students into the design of assignments / assessments.
  • Process Letters: Asking students to reflect on their work and offer feedback on those reflections. Students help guide the grading of their own work.

Process#

  1. Start with teachers talking to students about grades and the culture, give student a sense of ownership

Small steps

  • Change how you talk about assessment: Ungrading works best as part of a holistic pedagogical practice. Use words like "ask" or "invite," rather than "submit" or "required." Ask students about their expectations for their work, rather than centering yours.
  • Invite students to a conversation about grades: Ask students how being graded makes them feel, how it affects their motivation. As a group, read and discuss a piece like Alfie Kohn's "The Case Against Grades."
  • Grade less stuff, grade less often, grade more simply: Create space in your course for discovery and experimentation. Use a grading scale that feels less arbitrary and communicates more clearly to students. Ask students to do work that you don't "collect."
  • Ask students to reflect on their own learning: Even if you change nothing else about how you grade, ask students when and how they learn. Ask what barriers they face. Listen. Believe the answers.