Grades are the laziest metric in education.

Hi all, I’m 25, building in edtech, and one thing that’s become clear fast: most institutions still measure “learning outcomes” almost entirely by grades.

It’s the simplest number to track, but also the most misleading. Grades are a snapshot, not a heartbeat. They tell you how a student performed once, not if they truly understood, stayed engaged, or can apply it a month later.

I’ve watched students ace an exam and forget 50% by the next week (I've been that student).
I’ve seen others become deeply engaged and improve, but their grades lag behind until the end of the term (I've also been that one).

If we care about actual learning, we need to start tracking comprehension and engagement in real time when there’s still a chance to fix things, not after it’s too late.

For those teaching or running programs:
If grades disappeared tomorrow, what’s the one signal you’d use to measure real learning?

Submitted August 13, 2025 at 09:48AM by Typical_Mine_6618 https://ift.tt/8Hxqhmv