Assess THAT with Tom & Nat! (Assessment, Feedback, Grading, and Learning)

In this episode, Tom and Nat play the game "Would You Rather," exploring five assessment dilemmas that teachers and schools often face:

Would You Rather:

#1: Allow students to redo assessments right up to report card deadlines, or cut off revisions two weeks early to protect your feedback quality and mental health? 

#2: Suppress a student’s grade when evidence is insufficient, or assign a best-estimate level using professional judgment to avoid blank spaces on reports? 

#3: Use a single holistic score to reflect overall proficiency on a standard, or break it down into multiple component scores for clarity — even if it overwhelms families? 

#4: Prioritize the accuracy of the final report card by using only summative tasks, or include some formative data to recognize effort and encourage student morale? 

#5: Give more weight to recent evidence to honor growth, or consider the full body of work to avoid inflated grades from last-minute surges? 

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS

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Tom and Nat explore some important reminders about how to ensure that the assessment of both Project- and Inquiry-Based Learning are meaningful, cognitively complex, and substantive. Just "doing" PBL or Inquiry is not enough. The promise of these approaches to learning is deeper learning so our assessment practices need to reach that promise.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS

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CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE

In this Tom Schimmer Podcast classic, Tom is joined by Gholdy Muhammad to discuss her book, "Cultivating Genius, an Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy." 

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS

NEW BOOK

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In this episode, Tom and Nat share a three-year checklist for implementing standards-based grading. Of course, every checklist must be checked" against the culture and nuances of each specific situation. but generally, this checklist will provide a road map that can at least initiate the journey; you can adjust from there

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS

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CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE

In this episode, Tom and Nat discuss the "Secrets to Self-Assessment." Having students competent in self-assessment is the ultimate outcome of teachers' assessment literacy; teachers need to teach students how to do it.

Tom and Nat discuss (1) Why Self-Assessment matters, (2) How to overcome the inevitable challenges and roadblocks that come with early implementation, and (3) Five effective self-assessment strategies.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS

RECENT BOOKS:

CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE

In this episode, Tom and Natalie discuss the "Grading Trap," which inadvertently occurs when traditional grading practices - things like zeros for missing work, late penalties, and mixing behavior with academic performance - end up working against learning instead of supporting it.  The "Grading Trap" can inadvertently sabotage great teaching.

Tom and Natalie close the episode with ways that teachers can recognize the "red flags" of the "Grading Trap" and how they can get themselves out of it.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS

RECENT BOOKS:

CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE

In this episode, Tom and Natalie discuss three quick assessment wins. Each "win" falls within a specific aspect of assessment.

• Formative: Engineer conversations

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS

• JAN. 24-25 (Tom) NESA Educators Training Institute 

• Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. 

• FEB. 6-7 (Natalie) GFIO 2-Day Workshop 

• Orlando, FL. 

• FEB 19 (Tom) PLC Summit KEYNOTE 

• Phoenix, AZ 

• MAR. 5-6 (Tom) GFIO 2-Day Workshop 

• San Antonio, TX 

• MAR. 24-25 (Tom) SBLA 2-Day  

• New Orleans, LA 

• APR. 5-6 (Tom & Nat) NESA Learning Futures Summit 

• Athens, Greece  

• June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) ST Assessment Collaborative Institue 

• Madison, WI  

RECENT BOOKS:

• "Redefining Student Accountability"

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• Podcast on X

In this episode, Tom and Natalie discuss what makes a good rubric. They discuss the art and science of rubrics and what constitutes a high-quality rubric. They also discuss the differences between analytic, holistic, and single-point rubrics.

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• JAN. 24-25 (Tom) NESA Educators Training Institute 

• Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. 

• FEB. 6-7 (Natalie) GFIO 2-Day Workshop 

• Orlando, FL. 

• FEB 19 (Tom) PLC Summit KEYNOTE 

• Phoenix, AZ 

• MAR. 5-6 (Tom) GFIO 2-Day Workshop 

• San Antonio, TX 

• MAR. 24-25 (Tom) SBLA 2-Day  

• New Orleans, LA 

• APR. 5-6 (Tom & Nat) NESA Learning Futures Summit 

• Athens, Greece  

• June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) Solution Tree Assessment Collaborative Institue 

• Madison, WI  

JENNIFER GONZALES RUBRICS BLOG:

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/holistic-analytic-single-point-rubrics/

RECENT BOOKS:

• "Redefining Student Accountability"

CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE

• Podcast on X

In this episode, Tom and Natalie ask, "Are Common Assessments Worth It?" Spoiler alert: they are, as long as certain fundamentals and conditions are adhered to. In particular, when common assessments are used formatively they can be a powerful process for enhanced learning for students and teachers!

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• Nov. 3-5: Aurora Institute Symposium

• New Orleans, LA

RECENT BOOKS:

• "Redefining Student Accountability"

CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE

• Podcast on X

In this episode, Tom and Natalie explore the topic of feedback. They discuss it as both simple and complex. It's simple because there is unanimous agreement in academia about the role feedback plays in increasing student learning. It's complex because there are many contributing factors that lead to feedback potentially being ineffective.

In the end, Tom & Nat leave you with six guidelines for effective feedback.

FEEDBACK LESSONS

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• Oct. 17-19: NESA Fall Leadership Conference (Tom)

• Dubai, U.A.E.

• New Orleans, LA

RECENT BOOKS:

• "Redefining Student Accountability"

CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE

• Podcast on X