My title sort-of seems like heresy.  I think it puts me in a camp with long-haired gurus who don't shower and eat granola.  I'm really not a Hippie, though.  I simply don't agree with grades - or at least not in the conventional, here-are-the-letters system of grading.  What if we simply did away with grades? 

I share this idea with a colleague whom I respect.  He explains, "It would sure save time, but I can't imagine what would happen to motivation."  Another teacher says, "You know the ELD disaster.  Kids are awful in that class, because there is no accountability."  (ELD is a half-hour class we teach with no grade given)  A different teacher says, "Are you joking . . ." and with those words begins a monologue about responsibility, "kids these days," "giving a hundred and ten percent," "calling the shots" and a host of cliches relating to football.  By now, there is a crowd by the copy machine.  Okay, there is always a crowd by the copy machine - this is more like a huddle (Now I'm using football metaphors)

So, I kept my mouth shut, made a joke and decided I would go the passive-agressive route of blogging.  I think the biggest misconeption of grading is its purpose.  Grades should not be a means of motivation.  Authentic tasks and meaningful learning should motivate students.  Grades are not the source of "accountability," unless we take the more literal meaning of "making an account for something" and actually allow students to self-assess their work. 

To me, the purpose of grading should be feedback.  Students want to know what they did correctly and what still needs improvement.  If they simply shoot for an A, it means the best students, who are already fairly motivated to learn have now substituted the development of lifelong convictions with a shiny sticker.  Similarly, a student who always earns C's will learn nothing more than the tragic message that he will always be "average." 

I used to send out weekly progress reports.  I met with students who had D's and F's and gave them packets of worksheets I wouldn't ever assign otherwise.  I spent hours typing numbers into the computer, making myself a data-entry technician rather than a teacher. Now, I go project-based, grade a total of five assignments and spend the same energy writing comments as their work is in progress.  The results have been higher motivation, better work and a sense that education is more than simply making the grade. 

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