A Gradeless Classroom

As an Evergreen State College alumni, I understand the value of a gradeless classroom.  Nestled in the temperate rainforest of Olympia Washington, Evergreen creates learners by removing all elements of competition from education.  Evergreen also personalizes learning.  Emphasizing the importance of authenticity of experience, Evergreen's structure allows exploration and complete choice in program design.  They take the game out of education.  

"Founded on the four no’s—no academic departments, no academic requirements, no faculty rank, no grades—The Evergreen State College opened to students in 1971, and has been garnering accolades from various national publications, such as Princeton Review, Fiske Guide, Peace Corps, U.S. News and World Report, Sierra magazine, and others ever since."

--evergreen.edu

Evergreen has been around for over four decades.  The idea of a gradeless, project-based classroom is not new or revolutionary. 

Additionally, MIT’s approach reflects an authentic standards-based assessment protocol. "Grades at MIT are not rigidly related to any numerical scores or distribution functions, that is, grades are not awarded solely according to predetermined percentages. As can be seen from the following grade descriptions, a student’s grade in a subject is related more directly to the student’s mastery of the material than to the relative performance of his or her peers. In determining a student’s grade, consideration is given for elegance of presentation, creativity, imagination, and originality, where these may appropriately be called for." -- odge.mit.edu

Though worlds apart, both Evergreen and MIT's philosophies instill growth mindset through holistic assessment. 

Why has it taken nearly half a century for this approach to catch on in secondary education? 

In Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to Go Gradeless in aTraditional Grades School (Hack Learning Series Book 3),  Starr Sackstein discusses her experience with piloting a gradeless classroom for different demographic class populations.  She explores the challenges and successes and explains how to morph into a traditional gradebook using standards based rubrics.  Sackstein also gave her stakeholders a voice in the onset of the transition, allowing them to discuss apprehension and fears.  Transparency is essential for risk takers, and I value her process.  Her system is similar to MIT’s. 

While a few of my colleagues have moved to a standards based grading system, I struggle with the fact that they are still required to quantify and record using numerical scoring.  A square peg in a round hole.

How can we take the game out of school?

I tell my students (and my husband) that they need to learn how to play the game of school.  If school has in fact become a game, then strategic navigation requires awareness of that very fact.  If school is a microcosm and is set up to mirror the day to day life of an American worker, then beating the game becomes the outcome.  Not learning.

Learning can happen anywhere at anytime…but only when inspired and motivated.  Traditional grading systems make learning secondary to getting top scores.  

A true gradeless approach requires a complete paradigm shift in secondary and higher education.  Articulation between high school and colleges will begin to take place with the influx of the Common Core generation and hopefully grades will be a part of this discussion.