Ambassador Post: Shifting the Grading Conversation
By Tyler Haglund, Science Teacher at Apple Valley High School The month is April, and a student walks up to me during independent work time and asks, “Mister, how much extra credit can I get to bump my grade?” This question, as well as many others, was the bane of my existence. How many times […]
Portfolios Tell a More Robust Story of Student Learning Than Tests Scores Alone
I work with a lot of brilliant students. I’m sure you do, too – students who are articulate, creative, curious, innovative changemakers who will create huge ripples in the world. Annie started the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Richie volunteered to build a CNC machine for the engineering center, Dannie launched a website to raise awareness […]
Let Go of the Reins to Allow for Student Self-Advocacy
Let Go of the Reins to Allow for Student Self-Advocacy Written By Starr Sackstein Control, the false sense of knowing the outcome as the plan is put into action. Tightly holding the reins, manipulating the space to achieve a perceived understanding of success, all to maintain the illusion. Does this sound familiar? This is how […]
Student Reflections: MasteryBook
In advance of their grading conferences at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, Portal students were asked to reflect on a number of questions about their learning. One of the questions was, “How did your understanding of your learning change once we started to use MasteryBook? What did you do differently once you had MasteryBook as a tool?”
Office Hours: 30 minutes with Constance Borro
“Having specific, real-time data doesn’t seem possible in the status quo, but it is possible, and that data is transformative. “ Constance Borro, CEO of Mastery Portfolio Constance Borro, CEO of Mastery Portfolio, sat down with R.E.A.L Discussion to talk about Mastery Portoflio’s beginning, its strengths, and our ultimate goal of revolutionizing grading and assessment practices […]
Video: 6 Tips For Going Gradeless
Change the conversation about grading to one about learning. When a student asks, “what did I get?” redirect him/her to “what did you learn?” The language we use around learning matters, so we must be intentional when students want to talk about progress. Try to avoid speaking in terms of numbers and letters and focus […]
Mastery Portfolio Takes the Guesswork Out of Standards-based Grading
At Mastery Portfolio, we partner with schools that are ready for an assessment paradigm shift. Our focus is grading and assessment practices that motivate students to be active participants in their journey toward learning growth and mastery. Below is an exerpt from Rev 1’s article, Mastery Portfolio Takes the Guesswork Out of Standards-Based Grading written […]
Reversing Grading Meltdowns: a MasteryBook User’s Story
Enthusiastically Written and Shared By Jessica Claasse, educator at BEIS Mastery portfolio was introduced to me on the verge of a grading meltdown. I am not sure if that is even a thing. But let’s call it what it is- Grading sucks. If I have to turn the seconds of sleep that I have lost […]
Compliance Isn’t Mastery of Learning
As every new year begins, so does the adventure. After you’ve had time to reflect on this past school year, what will be your five goals for next
year?
Make Standards Visible in Mastery Communication
Learning is an on-going process and it seems inadequate and arbitrary to try to label learning along the way when it looks so different for so
many students. But since many of us are in the situation that does require grades, we must make sure students and parents aren’t surprised when progress reports or report cards come. Even if
your comments are pre-written, make sure to provide meaningful comments to aid in understanding the snapshot you are providing.
