Every classroom tells a story. But too often, the story we tell through grades is one of finality — a full stop at the end of a learning cycle. The grade becomes the label, the verdict, the destination. Yet learning is not a destination. It’s a journey — dynamic, recursive, and deeply human. If grades are to serve learning rather than distort it, then it’s time to change the narrative from finality to fluidity.
Two Conversations, Two Worlds
Picture this: Two students, both named Sam, come home from school after a science test. One tells his parents, “I think I got a D, but if I do a few extra assignments, I can still get a B.” The other says, “I didn’t do as well as I hoped, but my teacher helped me see where I struggled and how I can improve next time.”
Both Sams are reacting to feedback — but in entirely different worlds.
The first sees grades as currency — points to be earned, traded, or lost. The second sees grades as feedback — a mirror reflecting where he is and what he can do next.
One focuses on compliance. The other focuses on growth.
This simple distinction is at the heart of a profound shift in education: moving from grading as judgment to grading as guidance.
Why Grades Fail Learning
Grading has always been a paradox in schools. We tell students that learning is lifelong — that mistakes are essential, that curiosity matters. Yet, our grading systems often say the opposite. When grades reward completion over comprehension, or compliance over curiosity, we send a clear message: play the game, not the learning.
Too often, grades are treated as the point of learning, rather than a tool in service of learning. Students adapt accordingly — figuring out what will “count,” how to earn points, and how to play each teacher’s version of the game.
Research shows this inconsistency isn’t rare — it’s rampant. Grading practices are among the least aligned with research and the most inconsistent from one classroom to another. The result? Students learn to read teachers, not the material.
We tell them to take risks, then penalize them when they do. We say “learning never ends,” but our gradebooks insist that it does — every week, every unit, every term. It’s no wonder so many learners disengage.
From Points to Purpose
What if grades weren’t the finish line but the feedback loop?
Imagine classrooms where students view a test not as a verdict but as a checkpoint — a rest stop on a learning journey. Grades wouldn’t symbolize success or failure; they’d mark progress.
In such classrooms, teachers and students use grades to guide next steps, not to close doors. “Where am I now?” becomes more important than “What did I get?” And “What do I need next?” replaces “How can I fix my grade?”
This shift requires courage — from teachers and students alike. It demands that we treat grades as information, not as identity.
Clarity: The Missing Link
Ask a student, “How did you get that grade?” Chances are, they’ll shrug and say, “I don’t know.”
That’s not defiance. It’s confusion.
Clarity is the bridge between grading and learning — yet it’s often the missing link. Students cannot take ownership of learning goals they don’t understand, nor can they act on feedback that isn’t connected to clear expectations.
When teachers define learning intentions, success criteria, and progressions from the start, grades become transparent. Students can see how their work connects to goals, and teachers can see where learning breaks down.
This clarity doesn’t reduce rigor — it heightens it. It replaces ambiguity with agency.
The Culture of Completion
One of the greatest barriers to meaningful grading is what might be called the culture of completion.
Teachers, burdened by endless tasks, may focus on collecting, scoring, and recording—on “getting through.” Students, in turn, learn to focus on finishing rather than learning. “I’m done” becomes synonymous with “I’ve learned.”
This mindset reduces education to a transactional cycle: assign, complete, grade, repeat. The goal becomes submission, not mastery.
But when students understand that their work is evidence of thinking—not just proof of compliance—the game changes. The classroom transforms from a place of done to a space of doing.
The Formative Mindset
A shift from finality to fluidity requires a formative mindset—an understanding that evidence of learning should guide instruction, not merely populate a gradebook.
Grades are snapshots, not scorecards. They should spark curiosity, not compliance. A formative mindset means seeing every piece of evidence—from a conversation to an assessment—as a clue about where a student is in their learning journey.
When teachers use that evidence to adapt instruction, reteach, and extend, grades evolve from symbols to stories. They tell us not just how much a student knows, but how they’re growing.
What the Research Tells Us
Research from experts like John Hattie, Tom Guskey, and Susan Brookhart reinforces the point: grading practices must serve learning, not the other way around.
Grades should separate behavior from achievement. They should reward progress, not compliance. They should encourage risk-taking, not penalize it.
Students who perceive grades as carrots—as external motivators—actually lose interest in learning. Grades tied to ability rather than effort erode resilience. Conversely, when grades emphasize feedback, clarity, and opportunity, students engage more deeply.
Grades are not evil—they’re misunderstood. Used wisely, they can be powerful instruments of learning.
Fluidity in Action
So what does grading with fluidity look like?
It’s Mrs. Smith in Scenario 2—the teacher who tells her students that tests are checkpoints, not conclusions. Who uses grades to open doors, not close them.
It’s the student who says, “I didn’t get it yet”—and means it.
It’s the parent who asks, “What feedback did you get, and what’s your next step?” instead of, “What grade did you get?”
Fluid grading doesn’t eliminate accountability—it redefines it. It holds students accountable to growth, not just completion; to reflection, not just compliance.
The Courage to Change
Changing grading isn’t easy. It means challenging tradition, confronting inconsistency, and rethinking how we measure progress. But it’s also liberating.
When we view learning as fluid, every student gains permission to evolve. Every teacher becomes a coach, not a judge. And every grade becomes a tool for reflection rather than rejection.
This is not a utopian vision. It’s a necessary one. Because in 2025—and beyond—our greatest responsibility as educators isn’t to sort and rank students, but to help them see themselves as learners on a continual journey.
A Final Thought: The Movement of Learning
If grades are to mean anything, they must mean movement.
Learning doesn’t end with a test, a project, or a term. It stretches forward—into the next challenge, the next insight, the next opportunity. Grades should move with it, shifting from symbols of judgment to signals of growth.
Let’s stop asking, “What did you get?”
Let’s start asking, “What did you learn—and where will you go next?”
Nagel, D., & Potter, B. (2025). Grading Visible Learners: Learning with Fluidity, NOT Finality. Corwin Press
