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Going Gradeless, Grades 6-12
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Going Gradeless, Grades 6-12
Shifting the Focus to Student Learning

Foreword by Jon Bergmann



March 2021 | 184 pages | Corwin
Reform assessment, reduce stress, and strengthen learning  

Great things happen when students are able to focus on their learning instead of their scores. However, assessment reform, including standards-based grading, remains a hotly debated issue in education. Going Gradeless shows that it is possible to teach and assess without the stress of traditional grading practices. 

Sharing their successful shifts to alternate assessment and their perspectives as experienced classroom teachers, the authors show you how to remove the negative impacts of grades while still maintaining a high level of accountability. Readers will find concrete examples of how these approaches can be developed and applied, plus:

Sample assessments and rubrics
Student work samples from all grade levels
An accountability checklist           
A review of collected data

It is possible to go gradeless! Focusing less on letter grades allows students to interact with the content more deeply, develop better relationships with their teachers and peers, and gain confidence in the classroom, school, and beyond. 
 
 
Foreword
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Chapter 1: Why?
How This Book Is Organized

 
A Note on Terminology

 
 
Chapter 2: A Discussion About Equity
 
Chapter 3: Educational Theory That Grounds Our Model
 
Chapter 4: Development of the Model, 2015–2020
The Beginning: 2015–2016

 
First Revision: 2016–2017

 
Refining and Reorganizing: 2017–2018

 
Realigning: 2018–2019

 
Ongoing Adjustments: 2019–2020

 
 
Chapter 5: Creating Language for the Learning Progressions
Example: History Contextualization

 
Example: English Language Arts Thesis/Claim

 
Example: Math Problem Solving

 
Example: Art Elements and Principles

 
 
Chapter 6: Assessments
Introduction

 
Setting the Stage: Our Past Practice

 
Why Did It Need to Change?

 
Addressing the Concerns Regarding the New Structure

 
On Curriculum and Planning

 
On Sustained Effort

 
A Note Regarding Integrity

 
Scalable and Progressive

 
On Grading (Time, Stress, and Feedback)

 
On Conversations With Students and Parents

 
Our Types of Assessments

 
 
Chapter 7: Aligning Progress With a Traditional Model
Grade Translations

 
Development

 
Scaling the Course

 
Using for Quarterly or Semester Grades

 
Reporting Skills Progress in the Gradebook

 
Reporting Habits of Scholarship

 
Conferencing

 
Missing Work and Extra Credit

 
Concerns and How We Address Them

 
 
Chapter 8: Our Evidence
 
Chapter 9: A Step-by-Step Guide to Going Gradeless
Step 1: Identifying Your Values

 
Step 2: Grouping the Standards

 
Step 3: Creating a Learning Progression

 
Step 4: Pairing Assessments and Standards

 
Step 5: Aligning Assessments and Activities

 
Step 6: Reporting Out

 
Day-to-Day Implementation

 
Presenting to Students/Parents

 
In Conclusion

 
 
Resources A: Assessing Student Work
 
Resources B: Student Progress and Setting Benchmarks
 
Resources C: Some Full Rubrics
 
References
 
Index

"This book shows there is a way to hold students accountable while allowing them to step away from the stress of traditional grading. What a win for moving education forward! It shows evidence that going beyond traditional grading can push students to the next level without the stigma of that letter grade. We can teach and assess with out the stress! In our ever-changing world, we have to find ways to take our students to the next level. Going Gradeless will allow students to focus on their learning and free their minds to explore the content at a deeper level without the fear of failure."

Gayla LeMay, Teacher
Waycross Middle School

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