In Stacy Oliver’s English classes, students choose their own grades. It’s part of a concept that London, Ont., high school teachers call “ungrading.”
“We focus on feedback instead,” she said. “It is specifically focusing on learning and opportunities for students to be able to take risks without fear of failure (and) get a (poor) score.”
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“It’s really problematic … our whole academic society is transactional, but the big deal for me is that kids are really afraid to put themselves out there and pursue interests,” she said.
And so, Oliver decided to make a change.
In the fall of 2021, it introduced a new grading system for two of its English classes, one grade nine and one grade 12, and received support from its administration.
The system was that students could choose their own grades.
“They didn’t know what I was proposing to them. They were excited (but) confused,” she smiled.
Oliver begins the semester by outlining curriculum expectations so that students know what they have to demonstrate.
“Students propose a midterm and final issue,” Oliver explained, “but they must build a digital portfolio that justifies all of their work (to) how their work is meeting expectations.”
Brisida Bode, a class nine English student, says the self-grading system encouraged her to put more effort into her work.
“I’ve always wanted to give myself a low score, but I always try to look at my own work (and say, ‘This is what I want based on my actual work.’)
Bode ended the semester with the mark she wanted “after much conferencing,” she said. “It takes a lot of explanation and a lot of justification.”
Oliver says this system allows students to fail and recover because they have many opportunities to practice and explore interests.
“If we are looking at the curriculum, we are looking at these skills[and]then we are moving forward,” she said. “Because we are limited by time, (this system) better mimics the real world, because (students) are given a task and (they) complete it.”
Bode says Oliver’s class was a great experience and that she will miss the self-grading system.
“I didn’t like it at first but then as we did it more and more times, I enjoyed it because it gives you a new perspective on how you can look at grades as more than just a number. “
As for Oliver, the high school teacher says she will continue this system for future classes.
“(The students) talked about how this has been a process for them in personal development,” she said. “For many of them, they have rediscovered the joy in pursuing their interest.”
—With files from Global News’ Mike Stubbs and Alan Carter
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