When I speak to adults—that is, those people who are free of the educational institution—about grading and all of the harm it does, even those who are sympathetic to at least some of what I have to say follow up with the question: If we eliminate grades, how are we going to motivate students? The question is a good one, but the answer is not more grading, or different grading. Not only do grades not motivate students, they actively demotivate them.

Greene, D., & Lepper, M. R. (1974). Effects of extrinsic rewards on children’s subsequent intrinsic interest. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1974.tb00720.x

Lepper, M. R., & Greene, D. (1975). Turning play into work: Effects of adult surveillance and extrinsic rewards on children’s intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31(3), 479–486. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0076484

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.68

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000a). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020