The Grading Podcast

Feedback is one of the four core pillars of Alternative Grading. In this episode, co-hosts Robert Bosley and Sharona Krinsky discuss what elements are included in effective feedback, evaluate what it takes to teach students to use it, and share specific tips and barriers such as where feedback appears in LMS systems and different types of feedback including self-reflection, peer review, and instructor-to-student feedback.

Links

• Seven Keys to Effective Feedback
• Planning for Growth: Fleshing Out the Feedback
• Why I Give (Almost) All of My Assessments Back to My Students, by Sharona Krinsky
• What Learning Looks Like (Clean) Youtube video
• What REAL "Learning" Looks Like (Explicit) Youtube video
• Teaching More by Grading Less, or Differently, by Schinske and Tanner
• Effects of no feedback, task-related comments, and grades on intrinsic motivation and performance, by Butler and Nissan
• Gradescope - www.gradescope.com
• TextExpander - www.textexpander.com
• Grades Versus Comments: What Does the Research Really Tell Us? (Opinion)
• 5 Research-Based Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback

Resources

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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. Clicking on them and purchasing through them helps support the show. Thanks for your support!):

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

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

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

In this episode, co-hosts Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley talk with Dr. David Clark, an associate professor of Mathematics at Grand Valley State University and co-author of both the new book Grading for Growth and the Grading for Growth blog. Join us as we explore Dave's journey through alternative grading, what his impetus for writing the book was, and his thoughts about the concept of "Artificial Scarcity" as it relates to grading. We also have a fascinating conversation towards the end about some of the ways the media is trying to describe doing alternative grading the "right" way as well as some of the ways you can do it "wrong".

Links

• Artificial Scarcity: Reflecting on Arbitrary Limits in Our Classes by David Clark, on the Grading for Growth Blog.
• David Clark, Grand Valley State University website and contact information.
• Behind the Scenes with the Grading for Growth Book

Resources

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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. Clicking on them and purchasing through them helps support the show. Thanks for your support!):

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

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

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

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley talk with Dr. Kate Owens, a math professor at the College of Charleston, about her journey into Alternative Grading, how she handles assessments and reassessments in her classes, and what her top tips are for instructors considering switching to Alternative Grading.

Links

• A Beginner's Guide to Standards Based Grading by Kate Owens
• An Interview with Kate Owens by Robert Talbert
• Kate Owens, College of Charleston
• How We Moved A Conference Online by Kate Owens, Sharona Krinsky and David Clark

Resources

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

Music

Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation

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

In this episode, our hosts Bosley and Sharona take a thorough look at the third and fourth decisions of the grading architecture of an alternatively graded course.

• How will a student complete a learning target?
• How does an instructor roll up evidence of learning into a final grade?

In traditional grading, instructors don't usually determine if a specific learning target has or has not been completed satisfactorily. There are numerous ways, based on assessment methods and other factors, to determine when the learning target is complete. From a holistic approach to specific numbers of demonstrations of sufficiency, several of the ways of completing a learning target are discussed.

Once individual learning targets are developed and proficiency criteria decided upon, then its time to roll all of it up into a final course grade (assuming the instructor needs to give one). Ranging from a simple counting up of successes to utilizing a more nuanced approach, instructors will be introduced to some additional options and methods for approaching final grades.

Resources

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

Music

Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation

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

Join Sharona and Bosley as we delve into the details of the first two decisions needed in designing your grading architecture. We discuss the different types of assessments and evidence that we can use to measure student learning. Everything from traditional style exams and quizzes to the use of portfolios, student conversations and even "homework". Then we dive into proficiency scales. What are they? How are they used in alternative grading?

Additionally we begin to touch on the labels used in proficiency scales. Whether your LMS system requires the use of categorical numbers as labels or you have the flexibility to use words or even emojis, labeling your proficiency scales impacts the meaning and usefulness of them.

Resources

Assessment Resources

• Transparency in Learning and Teaching
• Open Middle Math Questions
• Performance Assessment Resource Bank
• CheckIt

When is A Number Not A Number? blog post by Robert Talbert

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

Music

Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation

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

Join hosts Robert Bosley and Sharona Krinsky as we talk to Joe Zeccola. Joe is a National Board Certified English teacher and an Equitable Grading and Instruction mentor in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He primarily teaches AP Literature and AP Language classes.

In this conversation, we talk to Joe about how he developed the learning targets that he uses in his classes. From his initial discovery of the problems with traditional grading through his journey of self exploration and understanding of what he values as a teacher, Joe provides a fascinating insight into the process he used to align his learning targets with his core values as a teacher and how he built his grading system to reflect those values.

Links

• The Case Against the Zero by Douglas Reeves
• Revisiting The Case Against the Zero by Douglas Reeves
• National Board Certification for Teachers

Resources

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

Music

Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation

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

In this episode, Sharona and Bosley describe the four decisions that make up the "Grading Architecture" of an alternatively graded course.

• How will you assess your learning targets?
• What type of proficiency scale(s) will you use?
• How will students show proficiency for a specific learning target? (I.e. how much evidence and of what kind to they need to provide)
• How will you wrap up into a final grade?

After introducing the four decisions, they explore some examples of common options used for each of the decisions. This includes:

• What types of evidence of learning will you accept?
• Exploring three common types of proficiency scales - 2 level, 3 level and 4 level scales
• Describing different methods for determining proficiency on a specific target (the Guskey method, N times, and decaying average)
• Evaluating options for rolling up grades, including the simple count method, the bucket method, and the "good to great" method with multiple levels of proficiency.

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation

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

In this episode of The Grading Podcast we interview Dr. Robert Talbert. Dr. Talbert is a full professor in the mathematics department at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Talbert is the author of Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty and the newly released Grading for Growth. Dr. Talbert has been using alternative grading in his courses since 2016.

In this wide ranging conversation we talk about Dr. Talbert's initial experiences with Alternative Grading, why he has stuck with it, and what motivated him to write his newly released book, Grading for Growth, with co-author Dr. David Clark.

We also explore the interactions between alternative grading, flipped learning, and active learning. Join us for this amazing conversation.

• Grading for Growth by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• The Grading for Growth blog by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Flipped Learning by Robert Talbert
• Behind the Scenes with The Grading for Growth Book

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation

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

In this episode of The Grading Podcast, co-hosts Sharona and Bosley introduce the four pillars of Alternative Grading:

• Clearly defined and measurable learning outcomes
• Helpful, actionable feedback
• Marks indicate Progress
• Reattempts/redos without penalty

Each pillar is introduced and defined, along with common misconceptions and myths.

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation

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

Before we can explore how to change our grading to be more effective, more humane, more inclusive and to better support student learning, we need to begin by examining more closely what is wrong with what we currently do. In this episode, Sharona and Bosley take a deep dive into the problems with the traditional points-and-percentages grading system. During the episode we explore:

• What do we mean by "traditional grading"?
• What is the purpose of a grade in a class?
• The lack of consistency and clarity in points-and-percentages grading
• The misuse of mathematical averages
• The inequitable nature of category weights
• Does traditional points-and-percentages grading do what we think it does?

• When is a number not a number? by Robert Talbert
• A Century of Grading Research: Meaning and Value in the Most Common Educational Measure
• Iowa ASCD 15: How to Grade for Learning with Ken O’Conner | Resource - Full
• The Case Against Percentage Grades
• The Case Against the Zero
• Grading is a Scam (and motivation is a myth) - Youtube

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education and 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:

• Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen
• Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

The Grading Podcast publishes every week on Tuesday at 4 AM Pacific time, so be sure to subscribe and get notified of each new episode. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - @thegradingpod. To leave us a comment, please go to our website: www.thegradingpod.com and leave a comment on this episode's page.

If you would like to be considered to be a guest on this show, please reach out using the Contact Us form on our website, www.thegradingpod.com.

Country Rock performed by Lite Saturation

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