The list below is not a set of opposites and it is not exhaustive. It is suggestive. Annotations for some terms appear below the table.
Assessments usually occur in mid-progress when corrections can be made.
Grades are usually recorded at the end of a project or class in order to summarize academic quality. Assessment is non-judgmental in the sense that it focuses on learning , which is the outcome of many influences, including teaching style, student motivation, time on task, study intensity, and background knowledge. Therefore, no one element can be reasonably singled out for praise or blame for a particular learning outcome. In contrast, grades carry evaluative weight as to the worthiness of student achievement and are applied, for good or ill, directly to them. Assessments tend to be used in private and become public only under the assessor's control.