“Grades during this time should be used as feedback instead of instruments of compliance.” The Illinois Governor, J. B. Pritzker, made this statement when announcing that schools across the state would be closed until April 30th. Upon hearing it, I was proud that our state would be prioritizing learning and growth over grading. As I… Continue reading The Fall of Grades
Tag: standards based grading
Unconventional Teaching Practice: Grading Conferences
It’s no secret that I am a proponent of unconventional grading practices. In fact, I’ve written about the subject several times before. (Here, here, & here.) While I’ve been making the transition to a classroom that focuses less on points and percentages and hope to one day have a gradeless class, there’s been a returning… Continue reading Unconventional Teaching Practice: Grading Conferences
What I Learned From Going Standards-Based
School supplies are back in stock at the stores, fall flavors are being advertised, and teachers are posting their classroom decor on social media. All signs point to back to school season, and if my nightmares of being late on the first day are any indication, we are in full swing. As teachers gear up… Continue reading What I Learned From Going Standards-Based
The Passion Project
This school year, much of my focus has been on student empowerment. My district has undergone some massive shifts, all centralized around the concept of personalized learning. It has been a powerful overhaul, and one that has involved a lot of time and effort from devoted teachers. A majority of us have taken huge steps… Continue reading The Passion Project
On Compliance [Part 3: Assessment & Grading]
I’ve written about standards-based grading before (check it out here), so it’s no secret that I am supportive of this movement. In my recent reflection on the ways schools can promote compliance, it occurred to me that some of the traditional assessment and grading practices do just that. Our traditional grading systems tie an arbitrary… Continue reading On Compliance [Part 3: Assessment & Grading]
Curriculum Coffee 