To the Editors:
Traditional notions of grading often weigh compliance over learning (“Here’s What Teachers Really Think About Equitable Grading Policies,” Aug. 20, 2025). When grades are a compilation of homework completion, extra credit, and behaviors, alongside evidence of learning, we are shortchanging our students.
Traditional grading often masks what a learner actually knows or is able to do—featuring arbitrary cutoffs and rankings designed to measure achievement within the constraints of artificial time blocks. Compliance is prioritized over content mastery.
We need to focus less on chasing percentage scores and more on creating opportunities for students to truly learn. I know many educators would agree that offering unlimited retakes may not be the perfect solution, but a “one-and-done” assessment model isn’t working, either. Equitable grading is one important shift toward building a more meaningful, relevant, and personalized K-12 system, one where students are provided opportunities to apply and master content in diverse contexts. Just as professionals refine their skills through practice and feedback, students deserve the same chance.
Additionally, let’s focus on transparency. Students need to know what is expected of them and have agency in meeting those expectations. In learner-centered environments, students have a clear understanding of what receiving a particular grade or achieving content mastery looks like and are able to show what they know in various ways. Educators know this is key to student engagement, and we must create the supports and system to move away from grades as compliance.
Virgel Hammonds
Co-CEO
FullScale
Portland, Maine
