What kind of question is that, you may ask?  We’ve always had grades.  How would we evaluate performance without them?  Is this just another ‘woke’ idea, like participation trophies for playing the game?  How will they learn to compete in this dog eat dog world awaiting our students?  Joshua Eyler, director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and a clinical assistant professor of teacher education at the University of Mississippi and the author of “Failing Our Future: How Grades Harm Students, and What We Can Do About It” has answers to all of those questions.  He illustrates in his book how grades interfere with students’ intrinsic motivation and perpetuate the idea that school is a place for competition rather than discovery.  In his research on the subject, he feels that grades actually impede the learning process.  He provides alternative ‘grading models’ which are being adapted in certain educational settings as we continue to see student anxiety and mental health issues go off the charts.  It’s a very interesting discussion.