I think we need to find a way to teach without grades. That is, we do know how to teach without grades at younger levels, and many schools do it successfully.

The problem is that eventually you need to measure for placement, and Goodhart’s Law kicks in and destroys the enjoyment of learning. It’s very hard to be intrinsically motivated when the external pressure dominates.

The fact that “study for the test” is basically synonymous with “study” for most people is indicative that we’re doing something extremely wrong in education.