‘Collecting information doesn’t require tests, and sharing that information doesn’t require grades.’ Grades reduce interest in learning, push students to the easiest task, and lower the quality of thinking. Better rubrics don’t fix this.
Evidence cited
- Grolnick & Ryan (1987): students told they’d be graded understood the main point less and remembered fewer facts a week later.
- Butler (1988): comments alone > grades; comments with grades ≈ grades alone (“narratives are helpful only in the absence of grades”).
- Butler (1992); Pulfrey et al. (2011): fear of failure, even in high achievers; Anderman & Murdock (2007): more cheating; White & Fantone (2010): pass/fail in medical school.
Instead
Qualitative feedback on assignments; narratives and conferences; student participation in final grades; portfolios that show learning.
Limits
“No recent research has contradicted…” is too strong. The essay ignores the information and selection function of grades (Claude).
Apply in my context (Claude)
- Butler (1988) is the key DELTA citation for feedback: Black & Wiliam’s AfL builds on it.
- Points and coin totals shown publicly behave like grades. Expect the same “easiest task” effect: children pick the activities that pay most for least effort.
- For homework-check decks: give comment-only feedback on writing, and keep the score separate and later.
Connections
The illusion of learning - correct answers are not acquisition · Rewards undermine interest in the rewarded activity · Learning to learn starts in primary