47: Redefining Assessment by Implementing Gradeless Learning feat. Jeffery Frieden, Aaron Blackwelder, & Nick Covington

What this episode covers

On today's podcast, we're looking at the gradeless movement. There's a lot to be debated in the education system, but I'm hard-pressed to find a topic so steeped in research as this one. Whether it be motivation, willingness to learn, and even traditional test scores, not giving a grade shows improvement across the board. There's countless research articles, books, podcasts, psychologists, education experts, and more writing and studying the effects of grades. And every single time, whether it be 1850 or 2019, it seems to support the same outcome: 1. Grades diminish motivation and do little to actually provide feedback for students to improve. 2. If there is research that supports grades, it's stating that they improve standardized test scores, not necessarily motivate or improve student outcomes. GUESTS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE Jeffery Frieden, an English educator at Hillcrest High School in Corona, California, and founder of Make Them Master It, an organization aimed at connecting teachers to mastery-based practice and identifying teacher struggle through a podcast, book, and blogs. Aaron Blackwelder, an English educator in Woodland Public Schools in Woodland, Washington, and founder of Teachers Going Gradeless, an organization aimed at providing resources and connecting educators who diminish or eliminate the use of extrinsic motivators. Nick Covington, a Social Studies educator at Ankeny High School in Ankeny, Iowa, who promotes progressive education in his own practice including developing portfolio-based gradeless assessments. RESOURCES * Make Them Master It [https://makethemmasterit.com/] * Teachers Going Gradeless [https://teachersgoinggradeless.com/] * Aaron Blackwelder's Feedback Report [https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/s/Report1.pdf] * Aaron Blackwelder's Soft Skills Rubric [https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/s/Soft-Skills-Rubric.pdf] * Redefining Quality: Working Towards New Measures of School Achievement by Aaron Blackwelder [https://teachersgoinggradeless.com/2019/02/23/blackwelder-quality/] * The End of Average by Todd Rose [http://www.toddrose.com/endofaverage] * Nick Covington's Medium [https://medium.com/@nick.covington] * Nick Covington's Economics Evidence Journal [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZcrGk_P5AJ6x9ns1aMIR5VsFfMfsZFTHxsKuWtr9mTo/edit] * Grading =/ Assessment HumResPro Resource [https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/our-resources-1/grading-assessment] FURTHER LISTENING * S2: E18: Innovating Education w/ Dr. Tony Wagner [https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/things-fall-apart/2018/8/17/s2-e18-innovating-education-w-dr-tony-wagner]:  [https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/things-fall-apart/2018/9/15/s2-e20-timeless-learning-w-ira-socol] * S2: E16: Restoring Humanity: Assessment (Gradeless Learning) [https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/things-fall-apart/2018/8/1/s2-e16-restoring-humanity-assessment-gradeless-learning]