Episode Details

In this episode we talk with Becky Peppler and Don Smith from First Educational Resources, an organization dedicated to providing K-12 school districts in North America with affordable options for professional learning to support social emotional learning, instructional coaching, professional learning communities, and grading reform efforts. We discuss their experiences with supporting grading reform efforts in thousands of districts across North America, the challenges, the opportunities, and where we go from here. We also talk about the STAGR center and conference. STAGR stands for "Standards, Targets, Assessment, Grading, and Reporting". The STAGR conference, a 1-day virtual event held twice a year, provides a platform for K-12 educators to come together to understand the landscape of grading reform, identify strategies that reduce complexity and enhance understanding of reform efforts, and work to implement effective changes to grading systems.

Links

Please note - any books linked here are likely Amazon Associates links. Clicking on them and purchasing through them helps support the show. Thanks for your support!

• The STAGR Conference
• Extinguishing the Fires within Assessment and Grading Reform, Garth Larson, Becky Peppler, Don Smith, and Matt Townsley
• Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom, Rick Wormeli
• Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work (An Actionable Guide to Implementing the PLC Process and Effective Teaching Methods), Richard DuFour
• College Bridge
• Repair Kit for Grading: (3rd Edition) 15 Fixes for Broken Grades with Discussion and Repair Guide, Ken O'Connor and Rick Wormeli

Resources

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12.

Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading:

• The Grading for Growth Blog
• The Grading Conference
• The Intentional Academia Blog

Recommended Books on Alternative Grading (Please note - any books linked here are likely Amazon Associates links. Purchasing through them helps support the show. Thanks for your support!):

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark

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