Interviews David Frangiosa Interviews David Frangiosa

Does Testing Miss the Mark? w/Akil Bello

Our guest on the Grow Beyond Grades podcast is Akil Bello, an expert in educational access with over 30 years of experience. Akil began his career as a test proctor in 1990 and has since held roles from CEO to consultant, working to improve outcomes for underserved students.

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Blog David E. Kirkland Blog David E. Kirkland

MT4S and the Power of Strengths-based Design

Dr. David E. Kirkland discusses the Multi-Tier System of Sustaining Strengths and Support (MT4S) model, which underscores a critical shift from remediation to celebration, from merely navigating learning barriers to paving pathways for success. This is how equity and justice in education really looks.

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Blog David Frangiosa Blog David Frangiosa

There is No Other Pill to Take

Learning is not a competition, and ranking and sorting have no place in the process. Differentiation and individualized learning are keys to achieving this vision. While there are challenges to attaining this ideal, it is not the impossible task that some would believe. As David explains, the benefits from this shift have far outweighed any challenges.

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Blog Lee Ann Jung Blog Lee Ann Jung

Universal Design for Assessment

Having choices in how students show their learning is critically important to access, equity, and even engagement. In addition to these compelling reasons, having choices for demonstrating understanding is a necessary condition of assessment validity. Lee Ann Jung shows how by removing the barriers to assessment, every student has the chance to shine.

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Blog Juuso Nieminen Blog Juuso Nieminen

Ungrading = Inclusive Assessment?

Grades do harm, and marginalized students are often harmed the most by grades. Yet, as Juuso Nieminen points out, it is dangerous to portray ungrading as a ‘panacea’ or even as a ‘solution’ to the matters of inclusion. Instead, I see ungrading as a deeply contextual, relational practice that can promote inclusion. The critical questions are: why, for whom, and under what circumstances?

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Blog Josh Eyler Blog Josh Eyler

Danger: Curve Ahead

Grades serve as mirrors for the structural inequities that are woven into the fabric of our educational systems. Often used for the twin purposes of comparison and competition, grades are drivers of injustice. Josh Eyler shares an excerpt from his forthcoming book dealing with one of the biggest perpetrators of inequity in our schools today: grading curves.

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Interviews Michelle Cottrell-Williams Interviews Michelle Cottrell-Williams

Assessing Holistically w/Dr. Carissa McCray

Michelle Cottrell-Williams interviews Dr. Carissa McCray on how teachers can better create equitable, inclusive learning environment that assess learners holistically. Dr. McCray explains why a culturally competent education is important for everyone in our globalized world, and the all-important role assessment plays in reaching all students.

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Blog Carissa McCray Blog Carissa McCray

Everything is Assessment

Assessments are a critical component of education, providing educators with important insights into student learning, and supporting the design of individualized instruction and support. And everything is an assessment. Carissa McCray shows how formative assessments can be embedded throughout our lessons to help both the teacher and student track progress towards learning goals.

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Interviews Arthur Chiaravalli Interviews Arthur Chiaravalli

Leveling up w/Fabiola Torres

Arthur Chiaravalli interviews Fabiola Torres, an online Ethnic Studies professor and Certified Faculty Developer at Glendale Community College. During the pandemic, she's led nationwide workshops and courses on applying equity-minded methods such as culturally responsive teaching in the online environment, humanizing online teaching and learning and ungrading practices.

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Interviews Lisa Wennerth Interviews Lisa Wennerth

Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education w/Alex Shevrin Venet

Lisa Wennerth interviews Alex Shevrin Venet, author Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education. Venet explains how schools can become more truly trauma-informed when they center equity and employ “proactive priorities” in planning and decision making. A long time ungrader, Alex examines how the same principles can be used to make ungrading more inclusive and equitable.

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Blog Nate Bowling Blog Nate Bowling

A Love Letter to My 40-Page Transcript

As a graduate of the famously grade-free Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, Nate Bowling received narrative evaluations rather than grades. “My transcript,” Nate writes, “shows who I was as a student far better than any series of letter grades or GPA could dream of.”

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