I received an email from a school leader that raised a familiar and important question about grading. The discussion centered on whether work habits should be reported within standards-based grading/reporting. At the heart of the question was a tension that I believe many educators recognize: work habits clearly matter for student success, yet they are […]
A common question I hear from school and district leaders implementing standards-based grading is deceptively simple: Should we use a 3-point scale or a 4-point scale? Often, this question emerges after professional learning experiences or deeper conversations about grading philosophy. Educators that have already moved away (or will soon be moving away) from percentages begin
A couple of days ago, I was sitting in an optometrist’s office waiting for my annual eye exam when a woman rushed through the front door, clearly flustered. She approached the front desk and blurted out, “I am so sorry for being late! Here is my insurance card.” Just beneath the counter was a sign
In 2025, I published four new articles related to grading. The references and abstracts/summaries are below, and when possible, a link to the full article is also provided. The benefits of transitioning to alternative grading practices often take time to emerge. Morris, S. R., & Townsley, M. (2025). Traditional vs modern-grading practices: A comparative case
As 2025 comes to an end, it’s the perfect moment to look back and explore the most noteworthy literature published over the past year that aligns with standards-based grading ideas. Three of this year’s articles come from ASCD’s Educational Leadership magazine and two were published in peer-reviewed journals. Note to returning readers: Once again this year
In their 2021 Educational Leadership article, University of Pennsylvania professors Zachary Hermann and Pam Grossman argue: All too often, PD efforts ignore principles and research on adult learning for the sake of efficiency. Powerful professional development to support instruction takes time, attention to the demands of particular subject matters and grade levels, and differentiated support
Recently, on a social media forum for teachers, an English Language Arts teacher asked a simple but important question about transitioning to standards-based grading: How do you assess novels? It’s a great question—and one I hear often. My response was this: rather than making the novel itself the focus of the assessment, the priority should
Providing students with opportunities to reassess and relearn honors the fact that every teacher knows — students learn at different rates and paces. Reassessment is not a free-for-all and still requires students to demonstrate their learning by a teacher or school-directed deadline. If your school is seeking to implement reassessment with more consistency or fidelity,
Is your school is currently implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) and/or standards-based grading (SBG)? Have you wondered how these two frameworks work together or support each other? In our recent paper, we drew parallels between CASEL’s five core competencies of SEL and the guiding principles of SBG. You can access the full article within
The start of the school year can feel like a rollercoaster for curriculum leaders. The ups and downs often include planning and facilitating teacher professional learning before students return, ensuring that teachers have both new and existing curriculum materials for the first weeks of school, and onboarding new staff to the district’s curriculum, assessment, and