Discussion 4 – Reflections

UNgrading – Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead)

2025 Spring Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Book Discussion Series

In UNgrading, fifteen educators write about their diverse experiences going gradeless. Some contributors are new to the practice, and some have been engaging in it for decades. Some are in humanities and social sciences, some in STEM fields. Some are in higher education, but some are the K–12 pioneers who led the way.

Based on rigorous and replicated research, this book shows why and how faculty who wish to focus on learning, rather than sorting or judging, might proceed. It includes honest reflection on what makes ungrading challenging, and testimonials about what makes it transformative.

Discussion 4 – Reflections (pages 173 – 227) (Friday, April 11, 2025)

Discussion facilitated by Julie Goodspeed-Chadwick and Becky Morse

“Grade Anarchy in the Philosophy Classroom” by Marcus Schultz-Bergin

• The instructor sought to establish an “anarchist classroom” where “the rules are generated by the community and members of that community feel generally obligated to themselves and to one another” (173).
• Examples from this chapter include the students developing “course learning outcomes,” such as “a desire to improve their ability to read complex argumentative texts, to improve their ability to communicate arguments and engage in debates, and to gain a deeper understanding of the law and its role in their own lives” (174).
• The structure of the course included these three aspects.
  1. P. 173: “Students would be provided with a buffet of learning opportunities they could complete at their discretion.” The author might eliminate this assignment approach going forward; see p. 181.
     179: Students decide to engage with and complete learning assignments and are expected to design an “assignment schedule and determine what they needed to do to achieve what they wanted to achieve.” The author recommends offering a suggested schedule of assignments to students, indicating the types of assignments and the time frame to complete them. Another recommendation by the author involves offering midterm exam questions that students can choose to answer. Last recommendation by the author: consider being explicit in recommendations for seminar paper/final paper topics.
     Example of an instructor-generated assignment that students can opt into: P. 179 / The instructor distributes a signup sheet, on which students elect to serve as a discussion leader. Each leader, as determined by the instructor, creates a one-page handout that summarizes key arguments from the reading and then facilitates discussion in class on the designated day. The signup sheet fills up. Reminder: teaching others is an effective way to learn.
     In the future, the instructor might use a rubric, engage in weekly or biweekly email check-ins and establish a tracking system to promote accountability.
  2. P. 173: “The only required assignments would be three reflection essays: an early semester achievement essay, a midterm learning reflection, and a final learning reflection. The aim of these essays was to have students identify what they wanted to achieve and then discuss how they achieved their goals and where they still needed to work.” Assignments are not graded, but students are provided with feedback; students “can push themselves and not get anxious about failing or otherwise performing poorly” (184).
     1. 1. Achievement essay = “outlining what they hoped to achieve in the course” (183)
        2. Midterm learning reflection essay = discussion of “those goals they set for themselves [in the achievement essay], as well as the course learning outcomes, and reflected on their growth up to that point.” Students “who did not submit much” up to this point “set out a plan for themselves in the second half of the course” (184).
        3. Final learning reflection = mirrors the midterm learning reflection essay, but at the end of the semester
  3. P. 174 = “Students would meet with me for two learning conferences—one at the midterm and the other at the end of the semester. In each of these, we would discuss the learning reflections and the student’s portfolio of work, and end with the student telling me their grade for the course.”

• P. 181: Consider a portfolio-based approach to assessment of learning. As the author writes, “Technically speaking there would not be any necessary negative result for a student who failed to complete an assignment.” But the author cautions there would be negative results for missing too many. P. 182: “One particular worry here is that since students are self-assigning their grades, they will just give themselves As regardless of merit. My experience indicated that this may be true of some students, but certainly not all. In particular I found myself bumping some student grades up, because they were (in my view) excessively harsh on themselves. I did not lower anyone’s grade from what they assigned themselves, but in one case, I requested a student do additional work given the grade he assigned himself (although I did not require he do so).”
• You will need buy-in from students and maybe other faculty or administrators, too. Key points from p. 175:
  • “Grades do not track learning (or anything else of importance).”
  • “Grading reduces student learning.”
  • “Only receiving feedback increases student learning.”
  • “Self-evaluation and self-reflection improve student learning.”

“Conference Musings and the G-Word” by Joy Kirr

• Pp. 189-190: “We all have stories about a grade, points, or a particular teacher. [Some stories] still bring up angst, and some are positive. Either way, grading can feel very personal, and I don’t want it to be. I want grades to reflect learning. I want grades to reflect achievement. Not behavior.”
• P. 195: The author conducts one-on-one 5-minute “grade” conferences with students “because even though I’ve gone all quarter without points or scores averaged together, I still need to put a final grade in the online gradebook. The end of the term is next week Friday, so I’ve reserved five days to have five-minute conferences with students.” It appears that the student and the instructor discuss what grade the student proposes, and they discuss evidence that is listed on a “documenting sheet” [see appendix 12.2 on p. 201].
• Thoughts? Ideas you want to discuss? Jot them down here:
  • Liked the gesture of the instructor using a chair the same height as the students.
  • What did you learn in this course that was not on the exam/was not evaluated?

“Wile E. Coyote, the Hero of Ungrading” by John Warner

• How many of us can sympathize or empathize with the grading scenario sketched on p. 205? Have we come up with any strategies that are working for us now to be more efficient (and happier/healthier/free from grading jail) in assessing student work, especially after reading this book? The author notes, “We are never going to catch [perfection]” (209). And he observes, “I cannot promise that ungrading will lead to less work. It did not in my experience” (212).
• P. 212: “I value attitudes like curiosity, thoroughness, and fairness. . . . [I]f those values are attended to while practicing one’s writing practice, my belief is those skills will develop far beyond what is possible when aiming for mere proficiency.”
  How might we cultivate these attitudes and value them? What other values are important in your course(s)? How might you cultivate them in expectations and assignments?
• P212: Think more along the lines of a writing “teacher” rather than a writing “evaluator”.
• Consider abandoning attendance folklore rooted in the assumption that students won’t attend without the threat of punishment. Setting absence limits signals it is okay to miss. Instead – make every class matter and class worth attending – not to be missed.
• In addition to skills, knowledge, and attitudes – students should develop habits of mind that can be applied to any discipline and any new learning scenario.

“Not Simple but Essential” by Susan D. Blum

• According to the author (and editor), “Though ungrading isn’t necessarily a time-saving approach, nor does it emphasize efficiency, it does tend to lead to both greater learning and more positive relationships” (219).
• Attendees appreciated that Blum cited research topics to consider or explore.