VirtueMetrics
VM
The New Academic Standard

Grading
with Purpose

A Merit-Based Grading Philosophy that focuses on Purpose rather than Comparison and improves the education experience for students, teachers, parents, and administrators.

The Story Schedule a Call

What if Grading could Improve Learning?

The most significant obstacles to student learning are not due to students or parents, but, rather, are due to the underlying systems that educators have built and universally assumed for nearly 200 years.

It is, therefore, our responsibility as educators to remove those obstacles.

"At best, grades, ratings, and rankings are perceived as necessary evils. At worst, they are seen as active deterrents to student learning."

Off the Mark, 2023 by Jack Schneider and Ethan Hutt
The Founder
Matthew Reese

A teacher, philosopher, and entrepreneur passionate about refocusing education on purpose and mentorship. He is the founder of the Classical Mentor pedagogy and the VirtueMetrics grading system. Everything he shares is the product of both his ongoing experience as a teacher and father of five.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works."

Ephesians 2:10

How / Why it Works

A purposeful, additive system where every student starts at zero and builds their grade through deliberate, meaningful work — step by step.

1
A Clear Starting Point

Every student begins the semester at Zero. The math is simple, reflecting what students have earned. VirtueMetrics does not give students a false sense of insecurity. Rather it allows them to see the distance between where they are and their goal so they can become motivated to work hard.

2
Students Choose Their Path

In each class, students are given a diverse menu of assignment types, as determined by their teacher, with each functioning as an Opportunity to earn points toward their goal. Opportunities may be required for all students, optional, or repeated. Some may even be flexible, inviting students to co-author their requirements and reward. But in every case, the goal is the same: freedom within wise constraints.

3
Excellence Determines the Reward

Depending on the work required, each Opportunity carries a maximum reward. However, that reward is not handed to students for merely trying. Rather, it is determined by the quality of a student's work — their Excellence. If a student achieves an 80% excellence on a 10-point assignment, they will be rewarded 8 points.

4
Points Earned Are Never Lost

The points rewarded to students — Good Work — are added directly to a student's final grade and can never be taken away. Progress is permanent. Students can move on to their next opportunity without fear of risking what they've already worked so hard to earn.

5
A Clear Goal

Rather than merely working until time runs out, students work toward a clear, 100-point Finish Line. By setting a goal that students reach, they are more likely to feel accomplished than merely relieved that it's over. This propels students to look for new learning opportunities worth accomplishing in the future — a reality reflected in many cases where students continue completing assignments even after reaching their 100-point goal.

Metrics anchored in Purpose, not Comparison.

Digital Portal

The VirtueMetrics Digital Portal

A purpose-built Learning Management System that puts merit, growth, and clarity at the center of the academic experience — for administrators, teachers, parents, and students alike.

Manager Dashboard with school-wide Good Work trends
Gradebook designed for effort-based, merit-weighted assessment
Course Progress tracking that honors each student's pace
Explore the Interface
Pricing

Affordable. Transparent.
Built for Any Size School.

  • A More Effective System at a More Affordable Price.
  • The Digital Portal enables you to efficiently implement the VirtueMetrics philosophy while also providing a host of tools.
Early Adopter Sale — 2026 Schools
$4 $2
per student, per month Save 50% — Early Adopter
  • VirtueMetrics Gradebook
  • School Metrics Dashboard
  • Tuition Management
  • Attendance Tracking
  • School Calendar
  • Reporting
  • Messages
  • School Directory
  • One-Time Setup— $500, includes onboarding & SIS integration
Get Started
Testimonials

Heard from those closest to the work.

Common Questions

Good questions deserve clear answers.

No, it does not because it was not built according to the typical verificationist goal of measuring students according to a 'normal curve', which requires a universal assignment approach, i.e. that all students in a class must complete the same number and kinds of assignments. Rather, its goal is the delivery, accomplishment and categorization of student opportunities with respect to the kind of person a school is shaping students to become. Where receiving additional assignment opportunities is usually counted as "unfair" with respect to evaluating normality, it is both fair and advantageous with respect to the better education goal set out by VirtueMetrics: Becoming someone through the accomplishment of learning opportunities.

Partially. VirtueMetrics draws from the Classical Mentor pedagogy, which sits between teacher-directed and fully student-led models. Teachers curate the menu of Opportunities and define what Excellence looks like, but students choose their path within those constraints. The approach gives teachers enough control to structure and guide students according to the topic, while also giving students enough flexibility to take ownership of their learning.

Onboarding for new schools is simple for those who do not need to import prior student records.

(1) Send us a list of the parents and students you plan to enroll.
(2) We will send an email invitation for parents and students to accept.
(3) Shortly after acceptance, users will be given access to their VirtueMetrics accounts.

If you are interested in migrating prior student records, please tell us more about your specific needs so we can determine the best approach. Not only is VirtueMetrics built to make things as simple as possible, but our system is also flexible enough that we can tailor solutions to your specific situation.

Resources

The Research Blog

Find out more about VirtueMetrics, the VirtueMetrics Digital Portal and the broader Classical Mentor approach to education. Here, you'll find everything from tutorials to philosophical essays on what it means to learn with purpose.

Visit the Blog
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Get in Touch

Begin the Conversation

Every School is unique. I'm excited to talk with you about your school and your specific needs.

Direct Inquiry
Matthew@VirtueMetrics.app