On the Philosophy of Assessment
A paper exam tests what you can memorise while sitting still. We have never met a pirate who needed to prove he could sit still.
Every Skill is assessed the way the sea assesses everything: by what you bring back. Treasure, a working ship, a chart of somewhere new, a parrot that claps on command — these are our grades.
The maximum grade is "Worthy of a Share of the Loot." It has been awarded forty-one times. Three of the forty-one went on to found their own colleges. All three owe us money.
— The Board of Captains, Academic Committee