The Grading Podcast

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley talk with Dr. Jenny Momsen, faculty member in the department of Biological Sciences at North Dakota State University and head of the Discipline-Based Education Research Ph. D. program. Jenny is one of the organizers of The Grading Conference and actively researches the impact of alternative grading on students ability to learn and integrate their knowledge about...

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley share some of the top line results of a direct comparison between traditional grading and alternative grading. In a tightly coordinated course with many instructors, sections and students, half of the sections used traditional grading and half used alternative grading. This is a fascinating dive into what does "traditional" grading mean, and how do those impacts...

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley have a wide-ranging conversation with Phil Stringer, Head of Mathematics at the Crofton House School in Vancouver, BC. From starting standards-based grading with AP Calculus BC to leading a schoolwide implementation of standards-based grading, Phil shares a variety of experiences and things he has learned through helping instructors switch to a standards-based g...

It has finally happened!! We have found an instructor who uses emoji's MORE than Sharona does!! Join us as we talk with Patrick Morriss, professor of Mathematics at Foothill College about his proficiency scales and grading system in Higher Ed Math. Links Please note - any books linked here are likely Amazon Associates links. Clicking on them and purchasing through them helps support the show. Than...

Happy New Year! On the podcast this week we replay our episode (Episode 21) with Dr. Eden Tanner, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Mississippi. Listen to hear about using alternative grading in the context of a 170 person general chemistry course. Eden has a fascinating take on approaching alternative grading from a research mindset, and how that led her to ad...

Happy Holidays 2024!!! Please enjoy this replay of one of our favorite interviews with Dr. Matt Townsley! Dr. Matt Townsley is an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Northern Iowa and a former district adminstrator and high school math teacher. In addition to being an accomplished faculty coach and author of many books about Alternative Grading, Matt also has the dis...

In this episode Sharona sits down with Dr. Josh Eyler, Director of Faculty Development at the University of Mississippi and author of the new book Failing our Future: How Grades Harm Students and What We Can Do About It. Join us as we talk about the book, about change efforts at the classroom, department, college and institutional levels, and what individual instructors can do to lead change effor...

Another deep conversation about alt grading in Physical Education, including the details! Join us as Sharona and Bosley talk about alt grading with Josh Ogilvie, a listener and a 22 year high school PE teacher in Canada. 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! PHE Can...

Join us for one of the most fun origin stories we have had!!! On the pod this week we interview Annie and Ed Ransom, two K-12 educators who both use alt grading, while being married to each other! Hear how alt grading plays out in middle school and high school science and how it is both the same and different from high school Social Science. Links Please note - any books linked here are likely Ama...

Join Sharona and Bosley as we talk to Dr. Jack Schneider, one of the co-authors of the book "Off the Mark: How Grades, Ratings, and Rankings Undermine Learning (but Don’t Have To)". In this engaging conversation, we explore the origins of the book, discuss the authors' purpose in writing it, and continue to explore the ways in which current grading practices hurt student learning and how important...

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley look at what some of the complications are when there is a mismatch between grades and actual learning. Based on some research coming out about grades not matching up with other measures such as standardized tests, we explore the ways in which grading schemes (both traditional and in some cases alternative grading schemes) can unintentionally cause miscommunicat...

In this episode, Becky Peppler from the STAGR center returns to do a deep dive on how she did reassessments in her high school chemistry class. Everything from how many, when, and what students need to do before doing the retakes is discuss in great detail. If you've been looking for the steps to handle effective retakes - enjoy this wonderful conversation! And make sure to check out the upcoming...

Let's discuss the role of homework (or other effort pieces of learning) in an Alternatively Graded course in more depth. In this episode, Sharona and Boz look at a recent research study about the inclusion or exclusion of a "homeworK' grade in the grading architecture of a high school geometry class and the impact it had on student completion of homework as well as their final grades. We distingui...

We've all heard them! The "criticisms" about alternative grading practices that don't seem quite "right" but are hard to debunk in the moment. This is the episode where Sharona and Bosley take on some common myths and misconceptions about alternative grading, as well as look at some of the history driving how the things behind the myths came to be a part of our grading systems. Links Please note -...

In this episode, Joe Zeccola joins Sharona and Bosley to discuss the interplay between discrete skills and more "holistic" skills, primarily in the discipline of writing. Utilizing some questions asked by Dr. Emily Pitts Donahoe in a recent blog post about Rhetorical Analysis, Joe, Sharona and Bosley explore the balance between assessing discrete individual skills and assessing more holistic proce...

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley discuss student perseverance and how we might effectively help build it in our students. Looking at several research articles and providing concrete examples of ways to build student skills, join us in exploring what we can do to help students understand how they can help themselves succeed. Links Please note - any books linked here are likely Amazon Associates...

In this episode Sharona and Bosley sit down with Colin Madland, a listener of the podcast from Canada. Colin wrote us in response to a request on a previous episode to learn more about what is going on in Canada. In addition to sharing about the state of Alternative Grading in Canada, Colin also shared his expertise as a Ph. D. candidate in education technology whose research is in technology inte...

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley speak with Mariah Muller, an English teacher at Santee Education Complex in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Mariah works with Bosley at his school and is in her second year of teaching. In this interview, we explore what it is like to start your teaching career from the beginning using alternative grading practices, and what Mariah's experience with gra...

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley interview one of their former students. Dr. Mary Reeves took the MAA OPEN Math intensive training on "Redesigning Your Course for Mastery Grading" in the summer of 2023. Subsequently, she redesigned two of the math content courses for future Elementary and Middle School Math teachers. Join us to hear about Mary's experiences working with, and impacting, future t...

In this episode we explore several questions sent in by listener's of the pod. From Interim Grades, creating learning objectives for high school science courses and how to track effort to why we even put this podcast and our work in alt grading out into the world, join us as we delve into the things that YOU are most interested in learning more about. Links Please note - any books linked here are...

Due to technical difficulties we were unable to record a new episode this week. Therefore, please enjoy this timely replay. Many institutions require instructors to provide "interim" or "midterm" grades. How does this work with an alternatively graded class? In this episode, co-hosts Sharona and Bosley are once again joined by nationally board certified English teacher Joe Zeccola to discuss the p...

Today on the podcast Sharona and Bosley sit down with Erik Francis. An international author, educator, presenter and professional development provider, Erik has over 30 years of experience in education. He has written a number of books and blogs on Depth of Knowledge, Inquirying Questions, and other topics. In this conversation, we take a deeper look at Depth of Knowledge and how it might be used...

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley interview Dr. Chad Lang, the Assistant Superintendent of School Improvement at Glenwood Community School District in Iowa. Through our conversation we explore the various ways in which communication plays an important role in the impact grading reform can have on a community, a school, and a student population as well as how intentionally aligning hiring practic...

The introduction of easily accessible large language models has reverberated through academic at all levels. For practitioners of alternative grading this has impacted in two major areas: Are the assessments we are asking students to do providing legitimately valid evidence of learning? (Or do they reflect students utilizing an LLM or other outside resource such as Chegg or Brainly) We are seeing...

It's another first here on the pod - a LIVE recording! A group of us came together to discuss what we were seeing at Mathfest and what we think needs to happen to get to a tipping point with grading reform. Thank you to everyone who joined us! Links Please note - any books linked here are likely Amazon Associates links. Clicking on them and purchasing through them helps support the show. Thanks fo...