Opting out of Grading

My daughter will be attending kindergarten next year and I'm starting to think about how I will support her in making school a place that will nurture and grow her natural intrinsic desire to go on learning.

Let me be clear, I'm as vocal of an advocate for public education as you'll find, but I understand with crystal clarity what Sir Ken Robinson was getting at when he asked the question Do Schools Kill Creativity? or why John Taylor Gatto wrote a book titled Weapons of Mass Instruction.

As an educator who abolished grading in 2004 and initiated a Grading Moratorium, I have an acute understanding for how grading sabotages learning. Because of this, I have drafted this sample letter that could be used as a guide for a face to face discussion with a teacher.

Dear teacher, 

Margaret loves to learn and is very excited to start school this year.  

Because the case against grades has a wealth of anecdotal evidence and scientific research, I am requesting that Margaret's assessments and evaluations only include formative comments. This means that Margaret's learning would never be reduced to a symbol (such as a number or letter). This includes individual assignments, quizzes, tests and her report card.

As a family that plays an active role in Margaret's learning, the best feedback we can receive about her learning is to see her learning. No reductionist data is required.

 If you are interested in learning more about the case against grades, I would be happy to provide you with these resources, and if your school's assessment and reporting policies make this request problematic, I would like the opportunity to discuss this further. Feel free to e-mail me.

I look forward to working with you to support Margaret's natural intrinsic desire to go on learning. 

Sincerely,

Here is an updated version of this post.