Accessible Ungrading

Abstract At the University of Minnesota, Rochester, a small health sciences school, writing faculty piloted their own versions of ungrading catered to the accessibility needs of students. Ubbesen experimented with what she calls “credit-based assessment” where students receive a zero through four score on all assignments. Bruenger experimented with assigning credit or no credit to all assignments. And Lemer experimented with not assigning grades at all until the final required one. This article describes these ungrading schemes, analyzes student responses to them, and promotes ungrading as an accessible practice for teachers and learners.