Abstract
In teacher education, grading practices not only evaluate learning but also shape emerging professional identities. Traditional numerical systems tend to constrain reflection, collaboration, and ethical judgement; the very qualities professional programs aim to cultivate. This study examines a teacher education program’s transition to a pass/fail (gradeless) model designed to align assessment with formative, dialogic approaches to learning that align with assessment in professional practice. Using critical narrative research informed by Ricoeur’s threefold mimesis, we analyzed interview data from teacher candidates to explore how they experienced assessment without grades. Findings show that ungrading reduced performance anxiety, encouraged openness to feedback, and supported a release of control that enabled candidates to take up more exploratory, risk-tolerant stances toward learning. Candidates described feeling “like explorers,” navigating unfamiliar terrain where feedback, not ranking, guided their progress. At the same time, the shift surfaced tensions around consistency, fairness, and institutional accountability. The study contributes empirical evidence to limited research on ungrading in professional programs and provides insight into how assessment reform can support reflective judgement and professional becoming within Canadian teacher education.