It’s time to ensure our grading practices work for students.

We are grateful to have author, educator, and Learner-Centered Grading thought-leader Tom Hierck leading April’s TCC Master Class Series webinar “Learner-Centered Grading”.

Grading has been a contentious topic for decades, but change has been slow. In the past few weeks, grading and reporting have been discussed in district offices, on virtual meetings, and in homes across the US as everyone adjusts to some version of distance learning.

Students, parents, and educators often agree that current grading practices do not accurately reflect the learning taking place in school. Everyone involved wants more meaningful and appropriate reporting that clearly communicates what students understand and can do and positively impacts student learning. However, schools often struggle to transform their grading and reporting practices.

A proven strategy for this transformation is to move from a traditional standards-based approach to grading to a target-based approach.

In a target-based system, the most important tier of instruction (core instruction) is designed to reflect not only standards but also specific academic and behavioral targets that clearly identify what students must know and what they must be able to do. As students work through carefully designed units of study, they are assessed and reassessed on the specific learning targets they need to master.

Join author and educator Tom Hierck to explore why we need a shift in grading practices and how you can move beyond broad, vague academic standards and into clear, specific learning targets that communicate goals and progress to learners and their families.

Participants will:

  • Learn how the shift to target-based grading and reporting increases clarity for students, teachers, administrators, and families
  • Understand how assessment and reassessment are impacted by this shift
  • Determine next steps for designing and implementing learner-centered grading practices

Tom Hierck's black and white portrait in a circle for an event promotion in 2020.

Who: Thought leader and author Tom Hierck

What: Register here for Learner-Centered Grading

When: Thursday, April 16th (4:30 Pacific/7:30 Eastern)*

Why: There is a growing consensus that our current grading practices are not accurately communicating students’ learning to parents, educators, or the students themselves. Tom is ready to share the steps you can take to clearly communicate expectations through target-based learning and assessment.

*This time doesn’t work for you? No problem! Register and we will send you a recording of the webinar by the start of the next week.

Have a burning question or an educational topic or strategy you want to learn more about? Let us know at isaac@thecorecollaborative.com and we may be able to plan a TCC Master Class webinar, #CoreChat, Lunch & Learn, or Core Communique blog to continue your journey of professional learning.