Episode Details

Before we can explore how to change our grading to be more effective, more humane, more inclusive and to better support student learning, we need to begin by examining more closely what is wrong with what we currently do. In this episode, Sharona and Bosley take a deep dive into the problems with the traditional points-and-percentages grading system. During the episode we explore:

• What do we mean by "traditional grading"?
• What is the purpose of a grade in a class?
• The lack of consistency and clarity in points-and-percentages grading
• The misuse of mathematical averages
• The inequitable nature of category weights
• Does traditional points-and-percentages grading do what we think it does?

Links

• When is a number not a number? by Robert Talbert
• A Century of Grading Research: Meaning and Value in the Most Common Educational Measure
• Iowa ASCD 15: How to Grade for Learning with Ken O’Conner | Resource - Full
• The Case Against Percentage Grades
• The Case Against the Zero
• Grading is a Scam (and motivation is a myth) - Youtube

Resources

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and K-12.

Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading:

• The Grading for Growth Blog
• The Grading Conference
• The Intentional Academia Blog

Recommended Books on Alternative Grading:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen

• Listen Now