In my classroom, Assessment for Learning (AFL) provided my students with a learning environment that was “fear-free.” Students were not “marked” on everything they did.  Everything counted, but not everything was evaluated.  To evaluate is to judge.  No one wants to be judged continuously on how they are learning, but rather be judged on what they have learned.  AFL provides feedback to the learner and the teacher.  The teacher becomes the helper, not the policeman.  Grading should not be a mechanism for classroom management, but a means of measuring what percentage of learning outcomes the student understands.  When “everything counts,” such as assignments, attendance, participation, quizzes, or whatever else, what are students really learning?  Students learn more about the game of grading versus the actual course content.

Students fear judgment. Every student at one time or another has spent more time trying to calculate an upcoming grade rather than focusing on their learning.  When I taught math, I would get asked by students, “What mark do I need on the final exam to get a B?”  You can replace the word “final exam” with test or project, and replace the letter grade with F, A, or C+, it all means the same thing.  The outcome are more important than the process.  This conditioning has been instilled in our students since elementary school, when “grades mattered.”

In sport, if an athlete is focused only on winning, he or she is more likely to lose.  The attitudes developed would not be conducive to learning, but to winning.  The focus should not about winning, even though that is an important aspect of sport (much like grades), but it should be about making the right plays, using correct techniques and follow-through, and doing the best you can in that moment.  Focus on the right things, the win will come.  If we expect this in sport, then we should be expect this in schools.

In my fantasy world, there would be no grades, only formative feedback.  Reality says we need to “measure success” with standardized quantifiable evidence.  Somewhere in between, the teacher has the professional autonomy to create a working environment that promotes optimal student learning within the classroom to provoke student achievement and curiosity and, the administrator has the authority to ensure that the school working conditions are safe and suitable to support its teachers and students.