Beyond grades

I was already disillusioned with grading and its perpetual power to distract from students’ learning and my teaching. But more than that, I wanted my students to engage more deeply with the pressing public issues of our times (e.g., the pandemic, George Floyd’s murder and ensuing unrest). As Susan Blum (2020) writes, “my grading practice was driving a wedge between the teacher I was and the teacher I want to be” (p. 45). When I heard about “ungrading” in the summer of 2021, my interest was piqued

Ungrading: Reassessing Assessment