✅ Why “Self-Grading” is so powerful (Executive Function, ADHD, 2e, Neurodiversity)

Hey, my name is Seth Perler from sethperler.com. I’m an executive function coach, and I wear a lot of hats in the executive function, ADHD, 2e, and neurodiversity worlds.

In this video, I’m going to teach you about self-grading and why it’s so important. This is a really valuable concept for teachers, educators, parents, and homeschool families. For parents, it can help you advocate for your child. For homeschoolers, it can help you evaluate learning. And for teachers, it can transform how you assess students.

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We live in a world where we rely heavily on letter grades: A, B, C, D, F. Personally, I believe letter grades are problematic. They don’t provide the depth of information we think they do.

Assessment is important—of course it is. But in my opinion, letter grades alone are not an effective way to measure learning. Still, they exist, and in many places they’re a necessary part of the system.

That’s why I want to talk about self-grading.

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I was a teacher for 12 years and have a master’s degree in gifted and talented education. I’ve worked with students of all ages—elementary, middle school, high school, and even college. Over time, I’ve developed strong beliefs about education, and one of the most important is the value of self-grading.

Self-grading doesn’t just mean assigning yourself an A, B, C, D, or F. It’s really about:

* Self-evaluation
* Self-awareness
* Introspection
* Reflection
* Metacognition

It’s about helping students think about their own thinking.

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When we use self-grading, we’re asking students to reflect on their work—whether it’s math, science, social studies, or language arts—and evaluate how they learned, how they processed information, and how they produced their work.

Personally, I love using rubrics. I also prefer long-term, strength-based projects that are built around a student’s interests, passions, and talents—things that feel meaningful and purposeful to them.

When students are engaged and care about what they’re doing, learning naturally improves.

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If you design a rubric for a project, you can have students evaluate themselves in each category. This is simple but powerful. You can still provide your own evaluation, but now you have a meaningful starting point for discussion.

You can talk about:

* Why they rated themselves a certain way
* Where there are differences between your evaluation and theirs
* How they can improve

This process helps students become better learners and thinkers—which is what education should be about.

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We don’t want students just memorizing information, doing busy work, or feeling bored in school. We want them to:

* Think critically
* Understand how they learn
* Discover their strengths
* Build on those strengths

Creating opportunities for self-evaluation helps achieve all of this.

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Think about the typical system: a student completes an assignment—maybe a math problem set or an essay—and turns it in to the teacher. It gets graded, returned with a score like 87% or a letter grade, and that’s the end of the process.

That’s not real learning. It doesn’t create meaning or growth.

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Instead, we should ask:

* What is important for the student to evaluate?
* How can we involve them in the process?
* How can we keep it simple but meaningful?

Self-evaluation turns grading into a learning experience, not just a judgment.

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For parents, this is especially useful when advocating for your child. Sometimes a student may receive low grades despite working hard—especially if they struggle with executive function skills like time management or organization.

Self-evaluation can highlight their effort, growth, and understanding, even when traditional grading doesn’t.

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For homeschool parents, it offers a more creative and meaningful way to assess learning instead of relying on busy work.

For teachers, it not only makes grading more meaningful but can also make your job easier by shifting some responsibility to the students.

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That’s all I’ve got for you.

My name is Seth Perler. I work in executive function, ADHD, 2e, and neurodiversity. If you found this helpful, give it a thumbs up, leave a comment, and share your thoughts to help others.

You can also check out my site, sethperler.com, for free resources and more information.

Take care. I wish you joy, peace in your heart, and connection with the people you care about—especially the kids in your life.

See you soon.