Point-Less: An English Teacher’s Guide to More Meaningful Grading

From the Foreword by Cris Tovani:

“Sarah Zerwin has written the book I desperately needed to help my beliefs about learning match my assessment practices.  In Point-Less, she nudges teachers to consider how traditional forms of grading get in the way of student growth.  Her pioneering ways of marking, collecting, and sharing student work shows teachers how to assess with fidelity and in ways that serve student learning. Instead of assigning random points to student tasks, she demonstrates how teachers can provide students with concise, descriptive data that serves as meaningful and specific feedback.

'Inside this book, teachers will find:

• online resources rife with tools and examples to manage feedback
• ways to harness the electronic grade book as a useful instructional tool
• frameworks that guide student and teacher feedback
• checklists to simplify convoluted rubrics.

'Sarah addresses every grading obstacle one could think of.  She provides ways to navigate objections that parents, athletic directors, administrators, colleagues, colleges, and even students might have with this innovative way of reporting grades.

'It’s exciting to think how instruction could change if teachers weren’t compelled to evaluate everything students did for the mere purpose of putting points in the grade book. Are you ready to find your path to a better way of grading?  Are you ready to lead students on this journey to becoming better readers, writers, and thinkers?  If so, you are going to love Point-Less!”--Cris Tovani