George Lucas Educational Foundation

The Proven Benefits of Grading Less

By shifting their focus from letter grades to meaningful feedback, teachers can unlock deeper learning, foster motivation, and minimize bias in the classroom.

August 8, 2025

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When assignments are handed back to students, it’s natural for them to focus on the grade rather than the feedback. It’s even been shown that when students see their grade first, they’re more likely to ignore the accompanying notes and reflections from the teacher entirely. But a letter grade doesn’t tell the whole story. In fact, research shows that there are many benefits to grading less frequently—leading to more impactful feedback and deeper learning in the long run.

Indeed, A through F grades are helpful for providing the macro view of a student’s achievement, but they can actually be a barrier to academic improvement and innovative teaching. They tend to heighten anxiety and push students away from challenging courses rather than provide them with low-stakes opportunities to try, fail, and try again.

Not only that, but grading is time-consuming. It occupies an outsized proportion of teachers’ time and incentivizes them to reduce assignments overall. To find more reasons why grading less can have benefits for both teachers and students—and for a list of ideas on what to do instead—read Youki Terada’s article for Edutopia, “Why Teachers Should Grade Less Frequently.”

To learn more about the research cited in the video, check out the resources below.

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  • Assessment
  • Formative Assessment
  • Research
  • Teaching Strategies

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