In this episode, Sharona and Boz dive into the essential role of community in grading reform. They reflect on their own journeys—Boz beginning with a supportive colleague and PLCs in K-12, and Sharona starting out largely on her own in higher ed—and how those experiences shaped their perspectives. Together, they explore why building communities of practice is critical not only for getting started and avoiding burnout but also for ensuring sustainability and institutional change.

The conversation highlights:

• The importance of professional learning communities (PLCs) and faculty learning communities (FLCs) as vehicles for change.
• How shared spaces like the Grading Conference, Slack groups, and disciplinary networks provide support, momentum, and new ideas.
• The differences and overlaps between K-12 and higher ed contexts when it comes to collaboration.
• Research pointing to strategies such as data use, communication, and professional learning as key levers for culture change.
• Why grading reform done in isolation rarely lasts, and how success multiplies when shared across a community.

They also share upcoming opportunities for connection, including the new Alternative Grading Institute (December 17–18, 2025, hosted by the Center for Grading Reform), designed to help educators redesign courses with support and collaboration.

This episode is a call to action: whether through local colleagues, national conferences, or virtual networks, community is the cornerstone of lasting grading reform.

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!

• Transformational Change Efforts: Student Engagement in Mathematics through an Institutional Network for Active Learning
• The Importance of Community in Fostering Change
• Moving Toward Institutional Culture Change in Higher Education: An Exploration into Cross-functional Professional Learning Communities
• Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity

Resources

The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building.

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

The Alternative Grading Institute - a 2-day intensive virtual training to kickstart your course redesign for alternative grading.

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:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Undoing the Grade, by Jesse Stommel

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All content of this podcast and website are solely the opinions of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily represent the views of California State University Los Angeles or the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Music

Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.