[Note to readers: This column was published in a September 2018 edition of Iowa ASCD’s The Source e-newsletter.] Leaders of Processes: Making Every Professional Learning Opportunity Count Last school year, I challenged readers to join Iowa ASCD by digging deeper into what it means to be a curriculum lead. According to our organization, the functions of our work […]
For the past fourteen years, I have worked in the Solon Community School District (Solon, Iowa). When I interviewed for a teaching position in 2004, I had no idea Solon would be such a wonderful place to work. During that interview, I found out the high school building was only a few years old and principal
Two articles were published in the February 2018 issue of School Administrator (AASA) describing university admissions office perspectives on standards-based grading (SBG). The full e-edition is available online and brief summary of each article is below. — High school students experiencing SBG receive a fair shot at higher education admissions The authors interviewed admissions folks at several
I was invited to share our district’s standards-based grading journey with the national superintendents’ professional organization, AASA. A brief summary: In Solon, Iowa, teachers’ gradebooks describe students’ current levels of learning without the customary array of A’s and C’s or numerical grades. The small district is at the forefront of a new assessment movement in
(Note to readers: This is part three in a series of columns written about Iowa ASCD’s current focus on supporting curriculum leadership across the state.) In the last column, I proposed curriculum leads consider getting their feet wet and engaging teachers in a collaborative process to understand the nexus between standards, instruction and assessment in
[Note to readers: This column was printed in a November 2017 edition of Iowa ASCD’s The Source e-newsletter.] What does it mean to be a leader of curriculum, instruction, and assessment? Not too long ago, I challenged readers to join Iowa ASCD this school year by digging deeper into what it means to be a curriculum lead. According
Are you thinking about making the shift to standards-based grading in your building or district? Based upon hundreds of phone calls, consultations, workshops and emails, here’s a list of five pitfalls I have observed that school leaders should avoid. Use exceeds as a descriptor in the grade book at the secondary level. Nothing frustrates Sally
A new peer-reviewed article I co-authored is now available in your local academic database! Peters, R., Kruse, J., Buckmiller, T., & Townsley, M. (2017). “It’s just not fair!” Making sense of secondary students’ resistance to a standards-based grading initiative. American Secondary Education, 45(3), 9-28.
As a result of a top 10 standards-based grading books list published not too long ago, a reader of this blog made me aware of The School Leader’s Guide to Grading by Ken O’Connor. So, I bought a used copy on Amazon and read it during a summer airplane trip, halfway across the country. I cannot
A teacher from a school in Iowa recently contacted me with an inquiry, Is there any research indicating students going through a standards based grading system show improved standardized test scores or college readiness compared to students that go through a traditional grading school? Context: What we know about educational research This is an excellent question that