Rethinking Assessment: Exploring Alternative Grading Practices

Alter­na­tive grad­ing prac­tices encom­pass a range of approach­es designed to move beyond tra­di­tion­al point-based sys­tems, fos­ter­ing mean­ing­ful learn­ing and growth. These meth­ods reimag­ine how stu­dent progress is assessed, focus­ing on col­lab­o­ra­tion, improve­ment, and deep­er engage­ment with the mate­r­i­al. Grad­ing for growth empha­sizes ensur­ing stu­dents demon­strate con­tin­u­ous improve­ment and com­pe­ten­cy devel­op­ment through­out their learn­ing jour­ney.

These prac­tices also include con­tract grad­ing, where stu­dents com­mit to spe­cif­ic cri­te­ria or tasks to earn a desired grade, and peer assess­ment, which encour­ages col­lab­o­ra­tion as stu­dents pro­vide con­struc­tive feed­back to deep­en mutu­al under­stand­ing. Among these inno­v­a­tive approach­es, ungrad­ing stands out as a par­tic­u­lar­ly trans­for­ma­tive method, remov­ing numer­i­cal scores entire­ly in favor of feed­back and self-reflec­tion. By pri­or­i­tiz­ing stu­dent own­er­ship of their learn­ing jour­ney, ungrad­ing opens the door to more mean­ing­ful engage­ment and deep­er learn­ing, a con­cept worth explor­ing in greater detail.

Ungrad­ing is a fun­da­men­tal rethink­ing of how we approach assess­ment in edu­ca­tion. In tra­di­tion­al sys­tems, grades often become the sole focus for stu­dents, who might care more about the final score than the learn­ing expe­ri­ence. Ungrad­ing removes this nar­row focus, invit­ing stu­dents to engage more mean­ing­ful­ly with course mate­r­i­al with­out the loom­ing pres­sure of num­bers. 

Instead of using grades to jus­ti­fy per­for­mance, instruc­tors can con­cen­trate on pro­vid­ing mean­ing­ful feed­back that helps stu­dents iden­ti­fy their strengths and areas for improve­ment. This approach encour­ages ongo­ing dia­logue and deep­er inquiry, trans­form­ing assess­ment into a tool for learn­ing rather than judg­ment. With ungrad­ing, edu­ca­tors can offer rich­er, more thought­ful guid­ance, fos­ter­ing an envi­ron­ment where stu­dents active­ly engage with feed­back to devel­op their under­stand­ing and skills. 

Alter­na­tive grad­ing prac­tices like ungrad­ing also shifts some respon­si­bil­i­ty to stu­dents, engag­ing them as active par­tic­i­pants in their own learn­ing. Through self-assess­ment, stu­dents learn to eval­u­ate their progress, devel­op self-aware­ness, and set mean­ing­ful goals. Some instruc­tors encour­age peer feed­back, adding an addi­tion­al lay­er of col­lab­o­ra­tive learn­ing to the class­room. These prac­tices trans­form grad­ing from a one-way judg­ment to a more holis­tic con­ver­sa­tion about growth, mak­ing assess­ment feel less like an impo­si­tion and more like a shared endeav­or.

The tran­si­tion to alter­na­tive grad­ing prac­tices requires clear com­mu­ni­ca­tion to man­age expec­ta­tions, as stu­dents accus­tomed to tra­di­tion­al grad­ing may feel uncer­tain about how to gauge their per­for­mance. Addi­tion­al­ly, instruc­tors face insti­tu­tion­al con­straints as college’s still require final grades.

Yet, even with­in these lim­i­ta­tions, alter­na­tive grad­ing prac­tices offer oppor­tu­ni­ties to stream­line the grad­ing process and make it more mean­ing­ful. Many edu­ca­tors find that alter­na­tive grad­ing prac­tices lead to reduced grad­ing stress while cre­at­ing a class­room envi­ron­ment that encour­ages gen­uine intel­lec­tu­al risk-tak­ing and curios­i­ty.

Ulti­mate­ly, alter­na­tive grad­ing prac­tices bring edu­ca­tors and stu­dents clos­er to the true pur­pose of learn­ing. By embrac­ing non-tra­di­tion­al grad­ing approach­es, edu­ca­tors can make assess­ment a pow­er­ful tool for growth rather than a monot­o­nous exer­cise in score­keep­ing.  Even small steps toward more for­ma­tive, feed­back-based approach­es can lead to a more inspired and less grade-dri­ven edu­ca­tion­al expe­ri­ence.

Tran­si­tion­ing to ungrad­ing can feel daunt­ing, but tak­ing it step by step can ease the process. Here’s a sim­pli­fied guide:

1. Set Clear Learn­ing Goals
   Focus on skills and key under­stand­ings rather than grades. Share these goals with stu­dents to set clear expec­ta­tions.
2. Use Feed­back Instead of Grades
   Pro­vide detailed feed­back on assign­ments, high­light­ing strengths and sug­gest­ing improve­ments, with an empha­sis on progress.
3. Encour­age Self-Assess­ment
   Have stu­dents reflect on their work using clear cri­te­ria to build self-aware­ness, crit­i­cal think­ing, and respon­si­bil­i­ty for their learn­ing.
4. Try Con­tract or Spec­i­fi­ca­tions Grad­ing
   Set clear bench­marks for assign­ments. Stu­dents meet spe­cif­ic cri­te­ria to earn cred­it, focus­ing on mas­ter­ing con­tent instead of earn­ing points.
5. Pro­mote Ongo­ing Dia­logue
   Replace grades with reg­u­lar check-ins, where stu­dents reflect on their progress, set goals, and con­tribute to their final assess­ment.

Ungrad­ing offers a pow­er­ful alter­na­tive to tra­di­tion­al grad­ing sys­tems by pri­or­i­tiz­ing learn­ing, growth, and mean­ing­ful engage­ment over numer­i­cal scores. By focus­ing on for­ma­tive feed­back, self-reflec­tion, and col­lab­o­ra­tion, ungrad­ing trans­forms assess­ment from a source of stress into a tool for deep­er under­stand­ing and intel­lec­tu­al curios­i­ty. It encour­ages stu­dents to take own­er­ship of their learn­ing jour­ney, fos­ter­ing crit­i­cal think­ing and self-aware­ness in a low-pres­sure envi­ron­ment. For edu­ca­tors, ungrad­ing pro­vides an oppor­tu­ni­ty to recon­nect with their role as men­tors, allow­ing them to build stronger, more per­son­al con­nec­tions with stu­dents while reduc­ing the bur­den of exces­sive grad­ing. While adopt­ing ungrad­ing requires patience and clear com­mu­ni­ca­tion, even small steps toward feed­back-focused prac­tices can cre­ate a more dynam­ic and equi­table class­room expe­ri­ence. As part of a broad­er con­ver­sa­tion about alter­na­tive grad­ing, ungrad­ing is a valu­able approach to con­sid­er when reimag­in­ing how we assess and sup­port stu­dent learn­ing.

Further Learning

Watch this video (4:29) out­lin­ing the step-by-step process for imple­ment­ing ungrad­ing Link

Read more about alter­na­tive grad­ing strate­gies on the NIC Teach Any­where page Link

Look­ing Ahead: There will be an Assess­ment Course Design Work­shop (online any 4 days in May /June). For more infor­ma­tion con­tact Natal­ie Ward @ Natalie.Ward@nic.bc.ca

Want 1:1 sup­port? Con­tact us in the CTLI.

 

REFERENCES

• Blum, Susan D. (2020). Ungrad­ing: Why rat­ing stu­dents under­mines learn­ing (and what to do instead). USA: West Vir­ginia Uni­ver­si­ty Press.
• Eyler, Joshua R. (2024). Fail­ing our future: How grades harm stu­dents, and what we can do about it. USA: John Hop­kins Uni­ver­si­ty Press.
• Stom­mel, J. (2023). Undo­ing the grade: why we grade, and how to stop. Den­ver: Hybrid Ped­a­gogy.

Writ­ten by Rose­mary Vogt in col­lab­o­ra­tion with Natal­ie Ward and Rachel Goodliffe

Pho­to Cred­it: Pex­els, RDNE Stock Project