Grading Systems Fail to Measure Actual Learning, Reform Attempts Increase Teacher Workload

Summary

Teachers notice that grades often measure compliance (on-time submission, formatting) rather than true understanding. Their strongest thinkers sometimes score poorly due to late submissions or missing formatting, while students who follow instructions get high marks without deep comprehension. Efforts to reform grading (e.g., revision policies, separating understanding from process) add significant teacher workload without clear payoff, as no effective system exists to decouple compliance from mastery. This unsolved problem causes frustration and burnout, and undermines the validity of assessments.