I want to create a classroom that would have engaged the 16-year-old me. —Aaron Blackwelder @growbeyondgrades.org growbeyondgrades.org/blog/why-i-g...

School is about learning, not grades. Changing how we talk about success in school is a great first step to putting the focus where it should be: on learning! —Ed Vogel and Jolene Zywica growbeyondgrades.org/blog/want-to...

A whole lot of the ills we associate with schools these days comes down to students not feeling like they have choice and voice and agency in what they do. @rickwormeli.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/10-27-2...

It was contradictory for me to tell students to work on this particular skill and not worry about the results, just to turn around and put a poor grade on their work. @davefrangiosa.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/asset-b...

Students weren’t benefitting from my use of feedback to recreate lessons they hadn’t learned in the first place. And feedback continued to be far more work for me than it was for them. @achiaravalli.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/notch-u...

Education systems writ large are still very much about hierarchies and measurement and ranking. We are all participating whether we choose to or not. @edifiedlistener.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/1-23-22...

Students shouldn’t squander years of their life, stumbling about to see what jobs accidentally present themselves that maybe they won’t hate. —Peter Hostrawser growbeyondgrades.org/blog/tell-me...

How successful was my education if all I have to show for it is a high school GPA? Was I ready to stand out from the crowd, or to receive a certificate honoring my conformity to the system? —Peter Hostrawser growbeyondgrades.org/blog/tell-me...

They're seeing their story come to life, and that in itself is motivating! —Ekta Sahasi growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2-27-22...

As my work neared completion, a sinking feeling gradually began to come over me. Finally I realized what it was. It was the dread of handing it in to be evaluated. @carolblack.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/evaluat...

A watched pot loses the desire to boil. @carolblack.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/evaluat...

Students are proud of the effort they have put in and excited that their work is valued. You see their confidence grow and their love for learning shine. —Gillian Berard growbeyondgrades.org/blog/student...

With student-led conferences, families hear how their child is progressing, more than any number or letter could tell them. They become a part of the process, learning about their child’s interests and passions. —Gillian Berard growbeyondgrades.org/blog/student...

Notably, there was less anxiety on and around assessment days and more in-class conversations about actual learning, rather than scores, afterward. @natebowling.com growbeyondgrades.org/blog/taking-...

It is time for educators to take charge of the broken narrative. We need to tell a different, more accurate story. —Lisa Wennerth growbeyondgrades.org/blog/the-cas...

We won’t be capable of dismantling the narrative if we simply 'close our doors and teach.' —Lisa Wennerth growbeyondgrades.org/blog/the-cas...

Underserved students may have learned to get by with as little time in class as possible—to protect themselves and their mental health. Though you promise your classroom will be different, they may be hesitant to believe you. @karismjones.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/stuck-i...

As you field students' questions and concerns, you feel hurt and frustrated: this gradeless system is supposed to relieve anxiety, not cause it! What is going on? @karismjones.bsky.social www.growbeyondgrades.org/blog/stuck-i...

Achieving a student-centered instructional model may be challenging, but it is well within the reach of teachers who are dedicated to elevating a culture of shared responsibility for learning. @mirplo.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/hover-f...

Removing grades from the general discussion throughout the quarter and placing the focus on feedback, reworking, retrying, and understanding moves students towards 'I understand this!' —Andrew Burnett growbeyondgrades.org/blog/bad-que...

Don’t get me wrong, answering questions and helping students is one of my favorite parts of being a teacher. The problem is that not all questions are created equal and some questions inhibit learning. —Andrew Burnett growbeyondgrades.org/blog/bad-que...

I would take just a second in the middle of those conferences and look around and say, 'This is it. This is the learning that is happening in the school.' —Jay Percell growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2022-09...

If the conventional practices are harmful and uninformative, then we should do all in our power to challenge them. @susandblum.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/the-ung...

The presence of grades takes psychological safety away from students, putting them into states of anxiety or apathy, neither of which allow for learning. @csarkonak.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/the-ung...

When we focus on assessment as a means of communication with and alongside our learners, it leaves space for their inner stories to be told and included. @edifiedlistener.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/im-a-le...

How interesting life becomes when we can see ourselves from a distance and take in all the details of the surrounding context! @edifiedlistener.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/im-a-learning-booster

The ‘averageless’ approach has resulted in greater student engagement, more varied final projects, and fewer fretful students, parents, and administrators. —Josh Gates growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2018/06/16/averageless

Just now listening to this and this is a really powerful perspective on education to aspire to: “Being a person that is recognized by others and who can recognize in ourselves that…we have something that contributes to the well-being of others is how we realize our own well-being.”

By actively encouraging and supporting unique interests, I instantly become a resource, mentor, and partner in the learning process—rather than a gatekeeper or adversary. —Josh Gates growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2018/06...

Writing can’t be taught 'in general.' To some degree, in each new context, you learn to write all over again. —Megan Von Bergen growbeyondgrades.org/blog/why-i-wont-tell-you-the-answer

In the culture of hovering, you're really relying on this grading system to do the management for you. And grades should never be about classroom management. @mirplo.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode-39-plotinsky

The world of ought sometimes beckons to the world of is, and change toward practices that work requires a vision of what that would be. @susandblum.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/my-favo...

I love that I am finally comfortable with all my students, even the ones who have been challenging for me, for reasons that may have only to do with me and not with them. @susandblum.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/my-favo...

When students and teachers capture learning as it happens—it is no longer an add-on reporting method after a performance task is completed. —Mike Rutherford @learningpulse.bsky.social @gotlearning.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/capturi...

I believe that curating evidence of learning over time and partnering with the student in conferencing throughout the learning process are integral to creating a dynamic learning environment. —Mike Rutherford @gotlearning.bsky.social @learningpulse.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/capturi...

When students learn to self-assess accurately, it enables them to transfer skills and understanding well beyond the classroom. —Dave Eddy growbeyondgrades.org/blog/science...

Although I found the standards-based grading system far superior to the traditional grading system, students were still focused on scores, not on learning. —Dave Eddy growbeyondgrades.org/blog/science-portfolios-and-conferencing

Moving away from traditional conferences shifts the focus from grades and scores to what students know and can do. @mssackstein.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/portfolio-conferences

With regular practice assessing their own progress, students are now better able to articulate that to parents and caregivers. —Bill Velto growbeyondgrades.org/blog/pt-conferences

Shifting to a gradeless environment has helped my students understand and articulate what they are learning and how that relates to their grade. —Bill Velto growbeyondgrades.org/blog/pt-conferences

We're all one drop. But if we all think that our one drop is the best, then we're no where. @ecleininger.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode-40-right-way-to-ungrade

Addressing the ways in which standards-based grading can become unmanageable is well worth our collective efforts. @achiaravalli.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/can-sbg-grade-less?1

While standards-based grading may have enhanced student opportunity for success, it has often done so through increased labor on the part of teachers. @achiaravalli.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/can-sbg-grade-less?1

I keep bumping up against a stubborn, inconvenient truth: It has been easier to help people grade less in a traditionally graded system than in a standards-based one. @achiaravalli.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/can-sbg-grade-less?1

I need to empower students to be able to build, generate, and create as much as possible. —Mike Rutherford @gotlearning.bsky.social @learningpulse.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode-41-rutherford

Finding ways to de-center the grade and re-energize student interest in the process—not the product—of their education should be driving us all right now. @martc.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/afraid-of-chatgpt

Grades are just letters and numbers. But to not acknowledge everything they are beyond this is irresponsible. —Brooklyn Bongiorni growbeyondgrades.org/blog/for-the...

When a person says ‘excellent’ or ‘way to go,’ they may mean well, but they aren't achieving anything beyond a momentary ego-stroke that later results in a lower low. @mssackstein.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/10-tips-on-feedback

With the phrase going gradeless, we hope to express the idea of moving—gradually or rapidly—away from the pernicious influence of grades, and toward more humane and effective methods of assessment and feedback. growbeyondgrades.org/start

I wondered: Wouldn’t my time be best used helping students understand the material by giving them meaningful feedback rather than entering numbers into a computer? @andrewburnett.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/no-longer-a-data-entry-clerk