A Better Way to Grade

A high school math teacher in Oklahoma, Sarah Carter, who was profiled as one of NPR’s 50 Great Teacher in 2015, is an example of a teacher who has embraced the growth mindset. Her classroom features a bulletin board, which turns common fixed-mindset phrases into growth-oriented ones. “This is too hard” becomes “This may take some time and effort.” “I made a mistake” becomes “Mistakes help me learn.” And “It’s good enough” becomes “Is this really my best work?” Instead of grading her students with traditional A through F scale, Carter hands out As, Bs, or “not yet.” Our traditional grading system will not be replaced, but we can use this grading system for some things in our classrooms.

There’s such a thing as a growth-mindset approach to assessment, and it centers on valuing mistakes, struggle, and growth. The reality is that high-stakes assessments and letter grades probably aren’t going away anytime soon, but there are steps teachers can take to prevent students from viewing grades as a direct reflection on their intelligence and instead see them as a measure of progress. For example, students can use a learning scale to evaluate their own learning.

• Green — I’ve got it and I can teach it!

• Yellow — I get some of this, but I need more practice.

• Red — Stop! I don’t understand this yet.