Grow Beyond Grades
@growbeyondgrades.org
What matters can’t be measured. Join the movement!
Website: growbeyondgrades.org
Support: growbeyondgrades.org/donate
Website: growbeyondgrades.org
Support: growbeyondgrades.org/donate
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Contest — Grow Beyond Grades
growbeyondgrades.org
✍️ PLEASE SHARE WITH HS & COLLEGE-AGE STUDENTS!
How have grades—or the experience of learning without them—influenced your learning, growth, or personal journey? All genres and formats welcome! @humrespro.bsky.social @gotlearning.bsky.social
#gradeless #growbeyondgrades
growbeyondgrades.org/contest
How have grades—or the experience of learning without them—influenced your learning, growth, or personal journey? All genres and formats welcome! @humrespro.bsky.social @gotlearning.bsky.social
#gradeless #growbeyondgrades
growbeyondgrades.org/contest
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
Start Here — Grow Beyond Grades
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:49 AM
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
No Longer a Data Entry Clerk — Grow Beyond Grades
Prior to going gradeless, math teacher Andrew Burnett felt like a “data entry clerk posing as a teacher.” Now, he has ditched the data entry in favor of meaningful and timely feedback. This shift has ...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:43 AM
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
Prior to my gradeless classroom, I was a data entry clerk posing as a teacher. @andrewburnett.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/no-longer-a-data-entry-clerk
No Longer a Data Entry Clerk — Grow Beyond Grades
Prior to going gradeless, math teacher Andrew Burnett felt like a “data entry clerk posing as a teacher.” Now, he has ditched the data entry in favor of meaningful and timely feedback. This shift has ...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:41 AM
Prior to my gradeless classroom, I was a data entry clerk posing as a teacher. @andrewburnett.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/no-longer-a-data-entry-clerk
I just decided then that I was going to be that kind of teacher that students could count on to be an advocate in their corner—believing them, trusting them, and fighting for them. @liznorell.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode-42-norell
Centering Joy in the Classroom w/Liz Norell — Grow Beyond Grades
How can we make classrooms more inclusive, engaging, exciting, relevant, and welcoming spaces for learning? Political science professor, Liz Norell, shows how, by embracing pedagogies of equity and ca...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:32 AM
I just decided then that I was going to be that kind of teacher that students could count on to be an advocate in their corner—believing them, trusting them, and fighting for them. @liznorell.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode-42-norell
Too often the legacy of White supremacy causes White people to feel shame or defensiveness when the topic of race comes up—or, indeed, any sort of systematic oppression or privilege. @liznorell.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/how-identities-impact
How Identities Impact Our Pedagogical Practices — Grow Beyond Grades
Progressive pedagogical practices come at the greatest risk for those who would have most benefit from empowering educational structures. Liz Norell, explains why those with more privileged identities...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Too often the legacy of White supremacy causes White people to feel shame or defensiveness when the topic of race comes up—or, indeed, any sort of systematic oppression or privilege. @liznorell.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/how-identities-impact
Reposted by Grow Beyond Grades
Sharing to remind myself to come back to this later.
How can we reclaim and recenter joy and where do we even start to think about assessing it? @karismjones.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/humanizing-assessment
Humanizing Assessment through Culturally Responsive Objectives — Grow Beyond Grades
Assistant Professor of ELA Education, Karis Jones, shares tips and techniques for how teachers can align their assessment practices with Muhammad’s CHRE (Culturally & Historically Responsive Educa...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Sharing to remind myself to come back to this later.
Examine the language your students used in their writing or speaking—how are they describing themselves? How are they positioning themselves in relationship to others? @karismjones.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/humanizing-assessment
Humanizing Assessment through Culturally Responsive Objectives — Grow Beyond Grades
Assistant Professor of ELA Education, Karis Jones, shares tips and techniques for how teachers can align their assessment practices with Muhammad’s CHRE (Culturally & Historically Responsive Educa...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Examine the language your students used in their writing or speaking—how are they describing themselves? How are they positioning themselves in relationship to others? @karismjones.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/humanizing-assessment
The more I learn about culturally responsive pedagogies, the more I’ve realized the importance of more expansive instruction and assessment—which means moving away from standardized rubrics and rigid grading criteria! @karismjones.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/humanizing-assessment
Humanizing Assessment through Culturally Responsive Objectives — Grow Beyond Grades
Assistant Professor of ELA Education, Karis Jones, shares tips and techniques for how teachers can align their assessment practices with Muhammad’s CHRE (Culturally & Historically Responsive Educa...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:19 AM
The more I learn about culturally responsive pedagogies, the more I’ve realized the importance of more expansive instruction and assessment—which means moving away from standardized rubrics and rigid grading criteria! @karismjones.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/humanizing-assessment
How can we reclaim and recenter joy and where do we even start to think about assessing it? @karismjones.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/humanizing-assessment
Humanizing Assessment through Culturally Responsive Objectives — Grow Beyond Grades
Assistant Professor of ELA Education, Karis Jones, shares tips and techniques for how teachers can align their assessment practices with Muhammad’s CHRE (Culturally & Historically Responsive Educa...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:18 AM
How can we reclaim and recenter joy and where do we even start to think about assessing it? @karismjones.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/humanizing-assessment
It’s not just that I think of school as a kind of game. It's that I think of school as a terrible game, in which the rules and incentives produce the wrong outcomes. —Barry Fishman growbeyondgrades.org/blog/gameful-learning
Let's Improve the Rules of Grading | Dr. Barry Fishman — Grow Beyond Grades
Read Grading is a Game. Let's Improve the Rules! New post by Dr. Barry Fishman of University of Michigan on Teachers Going Gradeless.
growbeyondgrades.org
January 4, 2026 at 12:02 AM
It’s not just that I think of school as a kind of game. It's that I think of school as a terrible game, in which the rules and incentives produce the wrong outcomes. —Barry Fishman growbeyondgrades.org/blog/gameful-learning
I lean heavily into the notion that to ‘win the people,’ we must include them in every stage of instruction, including what occurs before anyone sets foot in a classroom. @mirplo.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/what-engagement-means
Winning the People: What Engagement Really Means — Grow Beyond Grades
How do we move students from the appearance of engagement into something far more meaningful? Miriam Plotinsky argues that to “win the people,” we must include students in every stage of instruction, ...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 3, 2026 at 11:54 PM
I lean heavily into the notion that to ‘win the people,’ we must include them in every stage of instruction, including what occurs before anyone sets foot in a classroom. @mirplo.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/what-engagement-means
In order to keep students on the engagement side of the quitting continuum, numbers, letters, and percentages need to be deemphasized or better yet, completely removed. —Vanessa Ellis growbeyondgrades.org/blog/avoidin...
Avoiding Quit Point — Grow Beyond Grades
Everyone, at some time or another, reaches a quit point —the moment when an individual’s productive energy toward a specific goal drops, causing withdrawal or minimized effort. With knowledge of quit...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 3, 2026 at 11:46 PM
In order to keep students on the engagement side of the quitting continuum, numbers, letters, and percentages need to be deemphasized or better yet, completely removed. —Vanessa Ellis growbeyondgrades.org/blog/avoidin...
The College Board drains literally billions of dollars from families and school districts across the United States. And its exams function as gatekeepers to marginalized communities that would be much better off without it. @natebowling.com growbeyondgrades.org/blog/dont-need-college-board
We Don’t Need the College Board — Grow Beyond Grades
Nate Bowling explains why we should displace the College Board from its outsized role in education. Draining billions of dollars from families and school districts across the United States, its exams ...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 3, 2026 at 11:35 PM
The College Board drains literally billions of dollars from families and school districts across the United States. And its exams function as gatekeepers to marginalized communities that would be much better off without it. @natebowling.com growbeyondgrades.org/blog/dont-need-college-board
The College Board is a testing cartel. @natebowling.com growbeyondgrades.org/blog/dont-need-college-board
We Don’t Need the College Board — Grow Beyond Grades
Nate Bowling explains why we should displace the College Board from its outsized role in education. Draining billions of dollars from families and school districts across the United States, its exams ...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 3, 2026 at 11:31 PM
The College Board is a testing cartel. @natebowling.com growbeyondgrades.org/blog/dont-need-college-board
My mindset with these assignments is more 'show me what you know or are curious about' rather than 'let’s find what you don’t know.' My students have more ownership and agency in the learning process. @gregpask.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/why-no-exams
Why I Don’t Give Exams (And What I Use Instead) — Grow Beyond Grades
As a biology professor who has gone gradeless in favor of a labor-based approach, Greg Pask has moved away from exams entirely. Whether at the introductory or 300 level, he has found that tests don’t ...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 3, 2026 at 11:26 PM
My mindset with these assignments is more 'show me what you know or are curious about' rather than 'let’s find what you don’t know.' My students have more ownership and agency in the learning process. @gregpask.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/why-no-exams
The overall goal of education should be to develop self-motivated and curiosity-driven learners, and exams simply do not prepare students for a rewarding intellectual life outside the classroom. @gregpask.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/why-no-exams
Why I Don’t Give Exams (And What I Use Instead) — Grow Beyond Grades
As a biology professor who has gone gradeless in favor of a labor-based approach, Greg Pask has moved away from exams entirely. Whether at the introductory or 300 level, he has found that tests don’t ...
growbeyondgrades.org
January 3, 2026 at 11:24 PM
The overall goal of education should be to develop self-motivated and curiosity-driven learners, and exams simply do not prepare students for a rewarding intellectual life outside the classroom. @gregpask.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/why-no-exams
It is insensitive at best, and ignorant at worst, to prioritize my desire to ‘push the envelope’ and be ‘progressive’ over a family’s desire to see their child succeed in a way they can understand. @juliaerin80.bsky.social www.growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2018/03...
Going Gradeless in Urban Ed — Grow Beyond Grades
It’s generally assumed that we have to provide consistency for students so that everything is fair, and students are consistently evaluated with regard to their achievements, no matter what school th...
www.growbeyondgrades.org
January 3, 2026 at 12:35 AM
It is insensitive at best, and ignorant at worst, to prioritize my desire to ‘push the envelope’ and be ‘progressive’ over a family’s desire to see their child succeed in a way they can understand. @juliaerin80.bsky.social www.growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2018/03...
If we move away from grades to another system, especially one based on Silicon Valley’s ideology about how we can better rate or sort people, we may well replicate some of the systemic problems we already face with grading. —Benjamin Doxtdator growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2017/11...
Equity in the Gradeless Classroom Roundtable — Grow Beyond Grades
Does going gradeless automatically guarantee an equitable classroom? Could gradelessness produce inequitable outcomes?
growbeyondgrades.org
December 30, 2025 at 4:50 PM
If we move away from grades to another system, especially one based on Silicon Valley’s ideology about how we can better rate or sort people, we may well replicate some of the systemic problems we already face with grading. —Benjamin Doxtdator growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2017/11...
We are all on a learning journey to ultimately become better people, and this can involve being uncomfortably honest. I want to create an instructional space in which all of us, if given a choice, would choose to participate in. —Marian Dingle growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2017/11...
Equity in the Gradeless Classroom Roundtable — Grow Beyond Grades
Does going gradeless automatically guarantee an equitable classroom? Could gradelessness produce inequitable outcomes?
growbeyondgrades.org
December 30, 2025 at 4:48 PM
We are all on a learning journey to ultimately become better people, and this can involve being uncomfortably honest. I want to create an instructional space in which all of us, if given a choice, would choose to participate in. —Marian Dingle growbeyondgrades.org/blog/2017/11...
When I saw what students could accomplish during genius hour without a single percentage or score given, I knew I could better serve them if I removed scores from the rest of our academic storyline as well. www.growbeyondgrades.org/blog/genius-...
Genius Hour Roundtable — Grow Beyond Grades
Many teachers are implementing genius hour , defined as time given during the school day where students can learn about their interests and pursue projects they are passionate about. It's an inherent...
www.growbeyondgrades.org
December 30, 2025 at 4:39 PM
When I saw what students could accomplish during genius hour without a single percentage or score given, I knew I could better serve them if I removed scores from the rest of our academic storyline as well. www.growbeyondgrades.org/blog/genius-...
The great thing about genius hour and going gradeless is that it affords the teacher more of an opportunity to work with students individually and find ways to motivate them. www.growbeyondgrades.org/blog/genius-...
Genius Hour Roundtable — Grow Beyond Grades
Many teachers are implementing genius hour , defined as time given during the school day where students can learn about their interests and pursue projects they are passionate about. It's an inherent...
www.growbeyondgrades.org
December 30, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The great thing about genius hour and going gradeless is that it affords the teacher more of an opportunity to work with students individually and find ways to motivate them. www.growbeyondgrades.org/blog/genius-...
How is the wrong question. It's always why. Why are you doing this? We have lost sight of the purpose of assessment. And I think the gradeless movement is helping us to rethink that. @janmcarthur.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode...
‘Imagining Otherwise’ About Assessment w/Jan McArthur — Grow Beyond Grades
Jan McArthur is Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Justice in the Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, UK. In her conversation with Michelle Cottrell-Williams, Dr. McArthur d...
growbeyondgrades.org
December 30, 2025 at 4:21 PM
How is the wrong question. It's always why. Why are you doing this? We have lost sight of the purpose of assessment. And I think the gradeless movement is helping us to rethink that. @janmcarthur.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode...
Neither assessment nor learning are neutral or benign practices, and continuing to treat them as such leads to the reproduction of inequalities and symbolic violence. @ameenapayne.bsky.social & @janmcarthur.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/care-full-feedback
A Womanist Approach to Care-full Feedback — Grow Beyond Grades
Scholars Ameena L. Payne and Jan McArthur propose womanist thought as a praxis that re-positions feedback as a care-full process embracing the emotional, moral, and political as well as one that leans...
growbeyondgrades.org
December 30, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Neither assessment nor learning are neutral or benign practices, and continuing to treat them as such leads to the reproduction of inequalities and symbolic violence. @ameenapayne.bsky.social & @janmcarthur.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/care-full-feedback
A care-centered approach to feedback may better enable the complexity, wonderment, relationality, and potential of feedback as a socially-just process that involves the whole person. @ameenapayne.bsky.social & @janmcarthur.bsky.social
growbeyondgrades.org/blog/care-full-feedback
growbeyondgrades.org/blog/care-full-feedback
A Womanist Approach to Care-full Feedback — Grow Beyond Grades
Scholars Ameena L. Payne and Jan McArthur propose womanist thought as a praxis that re-positions feedback as a care-full process embracing the emotional, moral, and political as well as one that leans...
growbeyondgrades.org
December 30, 2025 at 4:13 PM
A care-centered approach to feedback may better enable the complexity, wonderment, relationality, and potential of feedback as a socially-just process that involves the whole person. @ameenapayne.bsky.social & @janmcarthur.bsky.social
growbeyondgrades.org/blog/care-full-feedback
growbeyondgrades.org/blog/care-full-feedback
The College Board is basically a multi-billion dollar cartel that has introduced itself as a middleman between families and their futures. @natebowling.com growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode-46-bowling
Telling the Whole Story w/Nate Bowling — Grow Beyond Grades
Nate Bowling teaches Social Studies at a US Embassy School in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. He is a past Washington State Teacher of the Year and National Teacher of the Year Finalist. He and...
growbeyondgrades.org
December 30, 2025 at 3:59 PM
The College Board is basically a multi-billion dollar cartel that has introduced itself as a middleman between families and their futures. @natebowling.com growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode-46-bowling