“It is inconsistent with Jewish wisdom to judge critically a Jew’s ability to learn Torah subjects. A student labeled anything but an ‘A’ in a Jewish subject will internalize a view of him or herself as less than great at Jewish study, or worse, a less than great Jew.”
Judaic Studies is and ought to be fundamentally different from General Studies. Judaic Studies help create essential Jewish identity and should inform our students’ lives both in the short- and long-term. Grades in Judaic Studies are counterproductive in achieving these goals. They have the potential to:
Make students feel like their “Jewishness” is being graded
Create so much pressure to get good grades that students don’t want to engage in Judaism after they graduate
Have students cram for tests rather than internalizing the material
Remove any meaning-making—which cannot be metrically measured—from lessons
Set an environment that encourages cheating and grade inflation
However, we cannot just take away grades; we need to determine how to continue to:
Hold students accountable for doing their work and making progress toward mastery
Keep students fully engaged
Accurately report to students on their parents on their progress
Generate intrinsic motivation in students
To that end, JEIC is:
Conducting a case study on a Jewish day school without grades in Judaic Studies, to determine their success and how they achieve that success
Generating discussion on alternative assessment and reporting methods
Crafting and curating publications on intrinsic motivation
Working with schools and educational organizations who are interested in replacing grades with authentic engagement, assessments, and reporting systems
Seeking Jewish day school and educational partners in pursuing this initiative
If you would like to find out more and/or participate in one of our alternative assessment and reporting opportunities, please email Sharon Freundel at sharon@jewishchallenge.org.
Related articles and best practices
DONE WITH GRADES by Rabbi Shmuel Feld
OP-ED: OF GRADES AND JUDAICS – RESPONDING TO THE CALL TO “PURSUE DISTINCTION” by Rabbi Shmuel Feld
ON DATA AND DEEP LEARNING by Tikvah Wiener
NO, STUDENTS DON’T NEED GRADES by Mike Barnes
MASTERY TRANSCRIPT CONSORTIUM ARTICLES
4 REASONS TEACHERS ARE GOING GRADELESS by Sarah Gonser
OVERTHROWING TRANSCRIPTS AND STANDARDIZED TESTS by Nadav Zeimer
HOW TO GO GRADELESS AND ASSESS BETTER by Starr Sackstein
OVERHAULING ASSESSMENTS by Natalie Vardabasso
Tapping intrinsic motivation in the classroom
As an outgrowth of our exploration of alternate educational modalities for Judaic Studies classes, the JEIC team identified the depth of research available on Intrinsic Motivation. This body of literature has existed for decades and surfaces the powerful benefits of leveraging Intrinsic Motivation in the classroom.
Yet, Jewish Day Schools, by and large, have not yet harnessed the power of this most powerful and lasting form of motivation. We lead workshops and offer technical assistance for schools eager to intrinsic motivation techniques into their Judaic Studies program.
The field is rich with research about harnessing the power of intrinsic motivation to boost student learning. The JEIC team is currently developing a comprehensive literature review on Intrinsic Motivation, and our staff facilitate workshops for educators and administrators on this essential topic.
Below are articles for preliminary study and investigation, as schools consider the strong merits of this approach.
Three Ways School Leaders Can Undo Grading Inequities by Peter DeWitt
The Most Essential Part of a Jewish Education Isn’t What You Think by Rabbi Shmuel Feld
What Motivates Us? An Interview with Daniel Pink by Katharine Bell of Harvard Business Review
Understanding Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation in the Classroom by Elizabeth Mulvahill