"And all of this makes me wonder if I shouldn’t just move to a contract grading model next semester. It would be so much easier if I could say an A means you completed everything on this list; a B means you completed most things on this list; a C means you did the minimum requirements. Boom. Easy. Done." What did you decide for fall? I've used the "contract" model for the past two years, and it's been successful, though I have clarified the requirements a bit in the process. One thing I have sought to avoid are the strictures and woodeness of a "contract." The stiffer the agreement gets, it seems, the more temptation to nickle and dime ... gaming the system because the system itself becomes an object of too much attention. A grading system always eats at the motivations for learning, I've come to think. Rigidity files its teeth.
I'll write a follow-up post about this in September, but I did decide to stick with ungrading for this fall. I do plan to provide more comprehensive guidelines on how students might think about assigning their own letter grades and a progress tracker that will help them keep tabs on their work for, and intellectual growth in, the course. I agree it would be easier if I could ditch final grades entirely!
"And all of this makes me wonder if I shouldn’t just move to a contract grading model next semester. It would be so much easier if I could say an A means you completed everything on this list; a B means you completed most things on this list; a C means you did the minimum requirements. Boom. Easy. Done." What did you decide for fall? I've used the "contract" model for the past two years, and it's been successful, though I have clarified the requirements a bit in the process. One thing I have sought to avoid are the strictures and woodeness of a "contract." The stiffer the agreement gets, it seems, the more temptation to nickle and dime ... gaming the system because the system itself becomes an object of too much attention. A grading system always eats at the motivations for learning, I've come to think. Rigidity files its teeth.
I'll write a follow-up post about this in September, but I did decide to stick with ungrading for this fall. I do plan to provide more comprehensive guidelines on how students might think about assigning their own letter grades and a progress tracker that will help them keep tabs on their work for, and intellectual growth in, the course. I agree it would be easier if I could ditch final grades entirely!