Updated as of 16 Jun 22
The following are freely available, online sources that I have found or have been turned on to (especially by my friends on Twitter). While I will continue to update this list, I am also working on annotating this bibliography and will post the results here, turning this simple bibliography into an annotated bibliography. More to come.
Ako, Wahanga Whakapakari. “Assessment Matters: Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment”
While more instructors have created "student-centered" learning environments, those have typically only included the learning part of the process. This essay asks readers to look at the assessment part of the process. And, specifically, to consider the use of self-assessment and peer-assessment tools. He defines self-assessment and then offers fourteen (14) reasons why instructors should consider self-assessment. The author goes into depth describing how to implement self-assessment. Finally, hr offers examples. He does the same for peer assessment.
Ashe, Diana. et al. “Alternative Grading Strategies.” UNCW Center for Teaching Excellence
The authors present their information in bullet points. Something akin to what you might see on a poorly constructed PowerPoint (too many words). Topics include an overview of grading strategies, criterion-referenced grading, specifications grading, contract grading, and ungrading. The other grading methods are similar to ungrading, or even a form of ungrading. The ungrading section only contains a list of three sources: 2 blogs and 1 essay.
Bali, Maha. “Reflections
on Ungrading for the 4th time,”
The author examines what went right and what needs to be further addressed in this essay that covers experiences after the fourth semester of ungrading. For example, the author notes the need to offer verbal and written responses to student work, but on the other hand, must negotiate with students when they inflate their grades (those undeserved As). This is an important essay for neophytes because the insights provide a roadmap to beginning ungrading as well as what to expect (both positive and negative).
Bali, Maha “Ungrading My Class – Reflections on a Second Iteration,”
The author tried ungrading suddenly, in the middle of a semester, without providing much scaffolding or guidance. Most of the students gave themselves As. And so, the author needed to come up with a manner that would facilitate meaningful and accurate reflections. This is an excellent article for those interested in exactly what not to do, how not to start ungrading. But, the essay is also important becase it demonstrates how to save that ship once it hits the iceberg.
Baylor. “Ungrading” Baylor
Academy for Teaching and Learning
The essay begins by defining why we grade, and why we should ungrade. The essay describes ungrading examples and practices (contract grading, portfolios, self-evaluation, to name a few). Concisely, the essay declares that ungrading is "a pedagogical paradigm with implications for every classroom process, potentially creating more effective learning environments and freeing instructors to focus more on supporting learning." The essay is well-cited, using 12 sources, which are listed at the end (see if you can use those sources).
Beck, Hall., et al. “The Relations of Learning and Grade Orientations to Academic Performance”
This is an old (1991) article, but even in the "olden days" the data shows that students who focus on non-grade-based learning assessments enjoy the class more and do better than in traditional classes with letter grades. This article will be enjoyed by folks who like data.
Belchetz, Michelle. et al. “Ch. II On (Un)grading”
in On Assessment
Benz, Gina. “Going Gradeless:A Liberation from Anxiety,”
Benz begins by talking about the mental health crisis of high school and college undergraduates. They feel stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. That seemed to be attributed, at least in part, due to competition for higher and higher grades. And she too felt that anxiety. So she tried the ungrading model. She discovered ungrading mirrored Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
Blackwelder, Aaron. “Focusing on Feedback Over Grades”
Blum, Susan. “Ungrading.”
Blum argues that grades are inconsistent with educational success. Grades cause anxiety. They are not a reflection of knowledge acquired, and grades do not motivate students. Students look upon edcation as a game, collecting grades not knowledge. Her findings are that ungrading does just the opposite. She also offers some comments for the ungrading skeptics.
Bolyard, Chloe. “Ungrading: Shifting the Classroom Focus Back to Learning.”
Buchs, Celine. “Why
Grades Engender Performance-Avoidance Goals”
Buck, David Crowdsourcing Ungrading
Bull, Bernard. “7
Reasons Why the Conditions are Right for a Learning Beyond Letter Grades
Revolution,”
Burtis, Martha Fay. “Ungrading: A ChapBook”
Chiaravalli, Author. “How I Go
Gradeless”
Clark, David “Assessing
My First Semester of Ungrading” EdSurge Jan 17th, 2022
Covington, Nick. “What’s
in a Grade?”
“In Your Opinion What Matters?”
Cummings, Lance. “3
Ways to Ungrade Student Work”
Davidhizer, Megan. “6
Steps to Going Gradeless”
Davidson, Cathy. “How to
Crowdsource Grading”
Digital Pedagogies at VIU “Assessment
and Ungrading”
Dosmar, Emily and Williams, Julia “Decentering
to Communicate” Teachers Going
Gradeless.
Elbow, Peter. “Grading
Student Writing: Making it Simpler, Fairer, Clearer”
Ranking,
Evaluating, Liking: Sorting Out Three Forms of Judgement”
Flaherty,
Colleen. “When
Grading Less is More.” Inside Higher Ed 2 Apr 2019
Gibbs, Laura. “Getting
Rid of Grades (book chapter).” OU Digital Teaching. 15 March 19.
“(Un)Grading:
It Can Be Done in College”
“Ungrading
for More/Better Feedback”
Gonzalez, Jennifer. Handout:
Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half by Cult of Pedagogy
Guberman, Daniel. “Student
Perceptions of an Online Ungraded Course”
Guskey, Thomas. “Grades
Versus Comments: Research on Student Feedback,”
Hoffman, Lainie, et al. “Ungrading:
A Discussion,” Univ Colorado
Housiaux, Andy. “The
Power of Ungrading,”
Human Restoration Project Ungrading Handbook
Hurley, Jennifer “Is
Throwing Out Grades Too Idealistic?”
Inoue, Asao B. “A
Q&A on Labor-based Grading”
Inside Higher Ed “When
Grading Less in More”
Jester, Bennett “The
Apathy Problem,”
Kat, Vera. “Gradeless
Class”
Kettner-Thompson, Rachael. “5
Reasons to Go Gradeless”
Knaack,
Liesel. “Untangling
Grades from Feedback: Ungrading a Course.” Digital Pedagogies at VIU, 17 Jan. 2019
Koenka, Alison, et al. “A
meta-analysis on the impact of grades and comments on academic motivation and
achievement: a case for written feedback”
"This research synthesis examined the impact of grades, comments, and no performance feedback on academic motivation and achievement in elementary and secondary school. Four meta-analyses were conducted, with two each exploring the impact of (a) grades versus no performance feedback and (b) grades versus comments on academic motivation and achievement, respectively. Overall results indicated that grades positively influenced achievement but negatively influenced motivation compared to no feedback. However, compared to those who received comments, students receiving grades had poorer achievement and less optimal motivation."
Kohn, Alfie “From Degrading to
De-Grading”
“Grading: The Issue is Not How
but Why”
Kunnath, Joshua “The
Low-hanging Fruit of Grading Reform: Eliminating the Zero,”
Leboff, Danielle. “No Grades. No Problem.” Top Hat
blog
Lee, Laura. “Methods for
Managing Late Work,”
Locke, Karen. “Introducing
the Gradeless Classroom to Students”
Luxon, Emily. “Ungrading
Doesn’t Necessarily Mean No Grades”
Mackenzie, Allison. Ungrading:
What Will People Think? Ch. 6, On Assessment: An Exploration of Emerging
Approaches
Marzano, Robert. “Tips
from Dr. Marzano: Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Grading,”
Mayer, Erin. “The Road to
Gradeless,”
McMillan, James and Jessica Hearn. “Student Self-Assessment”
Miller, SJ “Liberating Grades/Liberatory Assessment”
Mitchell, Curry, et al. “Unlearn
Grading to Ungrade Learning” Mira Costa College podcast
Mitchell-Buck, Heather. “Adventures in Ungrading”
Moore, Christina. “Ungrading
a Digital Ethnography.”
Morris, Sean Michael. “When
We Talk About Grades, We Are Talking About People.” Sean Michael Morris. 09 Jun 2021
National Council of Teachers of English “Ungrading
to Build Equity and Trust”
Noble. David. “Giving
Up The Grade.” Activist Teacher April 18, 2007
Pearson “Ungrading:
What’s the Hype”
Perkins, Drew “How
Single Point Rubrics Can Improve Student Work,”
Priebe, Sybil (and her students) “To
Grade or Not to Grade?”
Sackstein, Starr. “It’s
a Struggle to be a Progressive Educator Whose Child Goes to a Traditional High School,”
“Turn
Feedback into Progress,”
“When to
Say When with Homework,”
“Students
React to a Class Without Grades
Schinske, Jeffrey and Tanner, Kimberly. “Teaching More by
Grading Less (or Differently)”
Schlabach, Eric. “Thoughts
on Using Grades to Keep Kids Motivated at the End of the Year,”
Schwartz, Katrina. “How
Teachers Are Changing Grading Practices With an Eye on Equity.” Mindshift.
Shaffer, Kris “The
economics of the classroom -or- Why grades encourage bad habits”
Sorensen-Unruh, Clarissa. “Ungrading:
A Series.” Evolution (blog). 10 Feb. 2019
“Ungrading: What Is It and Why We Should Use it?”
Spencer, John “The
Power of Student Conferencing,”
Stommel, Jesse “How to Ungrade”
Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast with
Jesse Stommel:
How to Ungrade.
“If
bell hooks Made an LMS: Grades, Radical Openness, and Domain of One's Own”
“Learning
is Not a Mechanism: Assessment, Student Agency, and Digital Spaces”
Ungrading: An
Introduction by Jesse Stommel
Sung, Ki. “How
Can Students Self-Assess When Teachers Do All the Grading and Work?”
Supiano, Beckie. “The
Unintended Consequences of Ungrading” Chronicle of Higher Ed 4/29/22
Syverson, M.A. “Using Small
Multiples for Keeping Track of Student Work”
Talbert, Robert. “Ungrading: A 3x3x3
Reflection”
Tobin, Thomas. “In the Halls of the King Under The Mountain (of Grading).” 04 Sept 19.
Tucker, Catlin. “Student
Designed Units,”
“Students
Learn More When They Do the Work,”
Vogel, Ed and Jolene Zywica. “Want to Go Gradeless? Here’s How We Do it.”
Walter, Theresa. “Going Gradeless This Year?”
“The Surprise Growth in an Ungrading Practice.”
Whitmell, Terry. Ungrading
blog
Winslow, Michael. “My
first attempt at ungrading.” (Re)volution in Teaching. 28 Oct 19
