162 - What if First-Semester Grades Didn't Count?

What happens when a university responds to concerns about grades not by limiting A’s, but by making first-semester grades largely disappear? In this episode, Sharona and Boz examine the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts’ new First Semester Grade Covering Pilot Program, which will replace visible letter grades for first-semester students with pass/no-pass marks beginning in fall 2027. The policy is intended to ease students’ transition to college, reduce academic pressure, and create more freedom to explore courses without worrying about the impact on their GPA. With similar policies having existed for decades at institutions such as MIT, the new program provides an opportunity to consider what happens when an institution changes the stakes attached to grades without necessarily changing the grading practices happening inside individual courses and what that distinction might mean for students, instructors, and learning.

Links

University of Michigan Grade Covering PolicyU of Michigan Attempts to Disrupt the Transactional System, by John WarnerThe Real Mission of Higher Education is Hiding in Plan Sight, by John WarnerAddressing the Transactional Model of School, by John WarnerHarvard Doesn't Care About Students, by John WarnerJosh Eyler on LinkedIn Re: U of Michigan Grade Covering Policy

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:

The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia Blog

Recommended Books on Alternative Grading:

Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David ClarkSpecifications Grading, by Linda NilsenUndoing the Grade, by Jesse Stommel

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