How I am Going Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School

My gradeless journey began 6 years ago after witnessing how easily grades can be manipulated by teachers. I will not go into depth here about how grades can be impacted by compliance and family situations; I believe that is common knowledge. I decided that if traditional grades do not help students learn, I was going to find a way to create a grading method that did.

I have 2 grading categories

Formative assessments – do not count toward reported grade

Summative assessment – comprise the entire reported grade

Formative assessments are varied in size and type but consistent in their frequency and intent. These assignments increase in length and complexity from warm-ups and exit slips to question sets as a unit progresses. All formative assessments are evaluated using a proficiency scale. A basic outline of the scale is below.

LP – limited proficiency, student is able to complete task with help

AP – approaching proficiency, student is able to complete task independently with

DP – demonstrates proficiency, student is able to complete the task independently and uses content vocabulary, or examples appropriately

EP – exceeds proficiency, student is able to complete the task independently using appropriate vocabulary and novel examples

Opportunities for students to independently demonstrate their knowledge are summative assessments; these counted toward the reported grade. Grades are reported as content goals rather than a list of assignments. For example, in biology class, the summative assessment for the cell unit is a poster. This poster is listed as “cell structure and function” in the gradebook. Summative assessments are evaluated using a single-point rubric.

Not yet	Met	Exceeds
STRUCTURE
	Phospholipids are drawn and labeled polar/non-polar correctly
	Glycoproteins drawn and labeled correctly
	Transport proteins drawn and labeled correctly
	Receptor proteins drawn and labeled correctly
	Signal molecule drawn and labeled correctly
	FUNCTION
	Transport proteins role in active and passive transport
	Example of diffusion
	Example of active transport
	Example of endocytosis and exocytosis

Students will get this rubric back with my feedback; their grade will be reported only after they have had the opportunity to reflect upon and address my feedback.

Aspects that I continue to work on:

• reporting progress
• self/peer assessment
• assessing 3-dimensional learning
• rebranding formative assessments as practice opportunities
• timely feedback with large classes

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts; as you do, please keep in mind although there have been many hours of research and collaboration, I do not consider myself an expert. I share my journey with the hope of expanding my PLN and reflecting on my progress.

Resources that contributed to my progress in this effort:

“Hacking Assessment” by Starr Sackstein.

How to Grade for Learning by Using 15 Fixes for Broken Grades presentation by Ken O’Connor