Holistic Assessements

Grading Practices Holistic Assessments

Teaching to Holistic Learning Outcomes

After articulating the learning outcomes for my courses, I work on creating opportunities for students to practice, attempt, and develop their skills, knowledge, and habits of thinking related to those learning outcomes.  Before explaining how to teach to outcomes, I need to reiterate that this entire approach to assessing student learning has its foundations in learner-centered teaching, often called “active learning.” I likely would not have seen an urgent need to shift away from points-based…

Continue reading

Holistic Assessments

The Importance of Learning Outcomes

The rise of student-centered teaching, and the science of learning generally, has entirely transformed the landscape of educational work.  Unfortunately, our grading practices have not always followed suit.  Any progress we make in effective teaching practices will remain stifled unless we also transform the grading practices that, for better or worse, drive student behaviors.1 Alyson and I started this website with the intention of sharing an alternative grading practice, Holistic Assessments, originally developed by my colleague…

Continue reading

Holistic Assessments

Welcome to Holistic Assessments!  

Alyson Huff and I started this website after spending over 6 years implementing what we think is a unique approach to alternative grading: Holistic Assessments.  We attended and presented at workshops and conferences on “ungrading” and alternative grading, and we encountered a wide array of ways to jettison points.  There are indeed quite a few methods for assessing learning and assigning grades, but none of the alternatives seemed to fit our approach.  Or, the proposed alternatives seemed rooted…

Continue reading