August 30, 2026
What do I have to do to get an A?
Dr. Tanner Bowman
Founder and Head of School, Optio Academy
Think about the question every student eventually asks in a traditional classroom: “What do I have to do to get an A?”
That question tells you everything. The student isn’t curious. They’re calculating the minimum.
I heard it for ten years as a public high school teacher, and I don’t blame a single student who asked it. It’s the rational question inside a system where the grade is the point. Grades cap the upside and punish the downside, so smart students learn to manage the grade instead of chasing the learning.
What changes with XP
On Optio, students earn XP instead of letter grades. Every piece of work earns experience. Every project adds to your total. There’s no ceiling, so there is no “A” to achieve and stop at.
The question changes from “is this good enough?” to “what else can I do?”
Grades make students want to finish learning. XP makes students want to keep going.
Failure counts, on purpose
Letter grades penalize failure. XP recognizes failure as valuable learning, and it pays for the process, on purpose:
- First draft submitted: +20 XP
- Revised after feedback: +25 XP
- Reflected on what changed: +15 XP
Notice what that rewards. The revision earns more than the draft. In a graded classroom, turning in a rough first attempt is a risk to your average. Here, it’s the opening move of a process that keeps paying.
And it still counts
The obvious question: if there are no grades, what goes on the transcript?
Credit is based on evidence of learning, not hours in a chair. Students document real work on the Optio platform, licensed teachers review it, and credit is awarded to an official transcript through Optio Academy, which is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Registrars get the format they expect. Students get a record of what they can actually do.
One parent put it better than I can: “He LOVES the ability to work in any order, and he loves that it isn’t graded.” The learning got bigger when the grade got out of the way.