The Grading Podcast 141 - The Ungrading Spectrum: From Compliance to Student Ownership
In this episode, Sharona and Boz welcome back Chris Sarkonak to explore his powerful concept of the ungrading spectrum—a framework that maps the evolution of grading mindsets from traditional, compliance-driven systems to collaborative, student-centered approaches. Drawing on his classroom experience and professional journey, Chris unpacks how educators move from “this is how it’s always been done” toward systems that prioritize student agency, reflection, and ownership of learning. The conversation dives into the hidden inconsistencies of grading (including how the same student can receive vastly different results depending on grading structures), the role of student voice in creating more valid assessment systems, and the real-world constraints educators face when trying to shift practices. Along the way, the hosts wrestle with their own tensions around student input, rigor, and readiness, ultimately highlighting that while no system is perfect, rethinking grading through a lens of collaboration and purpose can dramatically expand who succeeds in our classrooms.
Links
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- The Ungrading Spectrum, by Chris Sarkonak
- Learning INSPIRed: Student Power Summit
- Episode 136 - Grading for Physicists, Not Point Collectors – with Chris Sarkonak
- Reliability of the Grading of High-School Work in English, by Daniel Starch and Edward C. Elliott (Published September 1912)
Resources
The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building.
The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12.
Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading:
Recommended Books on Alternative Grading:
- Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
- Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
- Undoing the Grade, by Jesse Stommel
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Music
Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.