I teamed up with Jesse Wilcox (former science teacher and current science education professor) to write an article for NSTA’s Science Scope. Standards-based grading (SBG) is an alternative approach to grading that uses standards, such as the NGSS, to communicate what students have learned. While SBG has increased in popularity in the last decade, questions still
Some of the initiatives we experience in schools are imposed upon us by department of education requirements while others district and school leadership choose to embark upon. Regardless of the entity fueling initiatives in schools, many schools experience what Douglas Reeves calls initiative fatigue. “The Law of Initiative Fatigue states that when the number of initiatives increases
In 2022, I published three new articles related to grading. The references and abstracts/summaries are below, and when possible, a link to the full article is also provided. Inequitable grading practices produce inequitable results. Griffin, R., & Townsley, M. (2022). Including homework and employability skills in class grades: An investigation of equitable outcomes in an
As 2022 comes to a close, it time to sift through the list of published literature from the past twelve months. This year’s list is surprisingly short, but I will leave it up to readers to speculate why! Note to returning readers: Once again this year I chose not to include any articles that I authored or co-authored, and
In Jay Mathews’ November 27, 2022 column entitled “Why don’t teachers complain to bosses about infuriating policies?“, he starts off by noting his observation: Many teachers have complained to me about what they consider the harm done by new policies called standards-based grading. These are designed to reduce stress for struggling students. The reforms include
In this paper, we address concerns and provide some strategies for implementing alternative grading practices in secondary science classrooms. Myth 1: “The real world isn’t like this.”Myth 2: “Grading this way will decrease the rigor of my science classroom.”Myth 3: “Grades should be a motivator in my classroom.”Myth 4: “I can use my old ways
Abstract: Historically, race and poverty have been contributing factors when considering gaps among students in their academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine how employability and homework scores within traditional points and percentages weighted grading models impact grades from an equity lens. This study analyzed 779 students’ semester math grades at an
When Nathan and I wrote Making Grades Matter, we envisioned it not only being useful for individual teachers or school leaders but also for teams of educators. The end of (nearly) every chapter includes “Assessment Tools for your Journey.” With the help of these tools, departments, leadership teams and entire schools can use the self-reported
One of my educational leadership mentors once told me that “leaders are readers.” That is, if educators desire to model the same lifelong learning disposition we desire to help our students become, our learning as adults should never end! While there are a growing number of educational blogs, Twitter chats, and podcasts available today to
By Matt Townsley & Chad Lang A quick scan of news headlines about districts taking a step back from their grading changes suggests parents and/or community members often have reservations or an incomplete understanding of the changes happening inside the district (see examples from the media here and here). We have firsthand experience with grading