Why should we, educators, move away from traditional grading practices? The following linked articles, books, podcasts, and videos—from people in various disciplines—serve as powerful evidence as to why grades are harmful to students. Some texts touch upon the pedagogical issues with grades; other texts focus on the equity related issues that grades cause; and some texts focus on both.
Articles/Blog Posts
- “From Degrading to De-Grading” by Alfie Kohn (1999)
- “The Case Against Grades” by Alfie Kohn (2011)
- “Letter Grades Deserve an F” by Jessica Lahey (2014)
- “The 5 Best Reasons for Going Gradeless” by Arthur Chiaravalli (No Date)
- “Ungrading” by Susan D Blum (2017)
- “Why we stopped grading our students on their writing” by Marisa Milanese and Gwen Kordonowy (2022)
- “I no longer grade my students’ work — and I wish I had stopped sooner” by Elisabeth Gruner (2022)
- “Grades Are at the Center of the Student Mental Health Crisis” by Joshua Eyler (2022)
- “POV: It’s Time Upgrade to Ungrading” by Carrie Preston, et al. (2022)
- “University of California Departments Consider Ditching Letter-Grade Systems for New Students” by Michael Burke (2022)
- “Building meaningful student-instructor relationships” by Katie Mattaini (2022)
Books
- Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity and Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom by Asao Inoue (link to open access, free ebook)
Podcasts
- Pedagogue: “Asao B. Inoue” (2019. Host: Shane A. Wood)
- Teaching in Higher Ed: “Ungrading, with Susan Blum” (2021. Host: Bonni Stachowiak)
- Teaching in Higher Ed: “The Problem with Grades, with Joshua Eyler” (2022. Host: Bonni Stachowiak)
- Bad Ideas About Writing: “Student Writing Must Be Graded by the Teacher, by Christopher R. Friend” (2022. Host: Kyle Stedman)
Videos
- “Why Grades Shouldn’t Exist” by Alfie Kohn (short video)
- “Grading is a Scam” by Zoe Bee.
- “Improving Academic Learning” with Alfie Kohn
Anthony Lince 