From Degrading to De-Grading
Alfie Kohn on reasons to abolish the current grading system in favor of authentic assessment to focus on learning, rather than grading. Includes a number of citations that would be worth exploring.
<p class="articletext">Researchers have found three consistent effects of using
– and especially, emphasizing the importance of – letter or number grades:</p>
<p class="articletext">1. Grades tend to reduce students’ interest in the
learning itself. </p>
2. Grades tend to reduce students’ preference for
challenging tasks.
3. Grades tend to reduce the quality of students’
thinking.