Resolutions often come with the new year and a lot of resolutions are hard to keep. If we had to guess, we’d say it’s because resolutions usually involve stopping or starting a new behavior. Teachers are always on the lookout for something new and as you return to your classroom, you’re probably thinking about changing something. Instead of adding something this year, what if you took something OFF your teacher plate?

One major recommendation we’d like to make is that you take a look at your grading practices. It’s entirely possible that you’ve fallen into the trap of the status quo when it comes to grading. If you find yourself grading anything and everything, thinking “if I don’t grade it, they won’t do it”, or giving assignments that don’t measure student achievement, you might be in the trap!

Use the new year as an opportunity to bring healthy grading practices to your school or classroom. First and foremost, you don’t have to grade everything you give the students. Some assignments may just be practice. However, anything you grade should reflect student learning. Asking questions like, “is this assignment tied to a specific standard?” or “does this assignment reflect mastery of a standard?” is a great way to get started. If you answer “No” to either of those questions, then it is probably something you can let go of grading. It might even be something you can let go of entirely.

Removing excess assignments from your students’ workload (and thus, your own workload) can be a liberating experience. It will help you focus your classroom time on assignments that promote student mastery while also freeing up some time for yourself outside of the classroom! At the end of the day, no one involved is going to complain about LESS work and if the work you’re expecting is tied to student learning, then all the stakeholders will be happy.

If you want more information about healthy grading practices, check out our book Grade Cleanse for an easy-to-follow roadmap to reflection and growth when it comes to grading.