The Grading Podcast

Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley
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Grading is an extremely important and largely unexamined piece of the classroom puzzle. In this weekly podcast, Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley, two long time classroom instructors from the K-12 and Higher Ed worlds, explore the nuts and bolts of grading student work. From looking at traditional grading practices to other types of grading such as alternative grading, equitable grading, ungrading, and more, join us as we and our guests provide the research, practices, and details needed to create a more effective grading practice that supports student learning and success. For more information, check out our website, https://www.thegradingpod.com

  1. 1D AGO

    118 - Designing Evidence-Based Change: Inside the Alt Grading Institute with Michael Palmer

    In this episode of The Grading Podcast, Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley welcome Dr. Michael Palmer, the Barbara Fried Director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence and recipient of the Bob Pierleoni Spirit of POD Award. Together, they dive deep into the origins of the new Alternative Grading Institute being offered by the Center for Grading Reform, the “grading scheme anatomy” framework under development by Michael and his team, and what it really takes to redesign assessment practices that are evidence based and align with our values as instructors. Links 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! Alternative Grading Institute (Registration deadline October 15, 2025)Developing High-Impact Course Design InstitutesThe Bob Pierleoni Spirit of POD Award  Resources The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building. The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12. Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading: The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia Blog Recommended Books on Alternative Grading: Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David ClarkSpecifications Grading, by Linda NilsenUndoing the Grade, by Jesse Stommel Follow us on Bluesky, 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...

    54 min

  2. OCT 7

    117 - Excuses, excuses: 10 Reasons People Give for NOT Implementing Alternative Grading and How To Reply to Them

    In this episode, Boz and Sharona dig into the instant reactions that educators often have when they first hear about alternative grading. Inspired by Dr. David Clark’s recent Grading for Growth blog post titled “Kneejerk Reactions,” Boz and Sharona unpack the most common reflexive objections to grading reform and explore practical, compassionate ways to respond. From “Retakes aren’t real world!” to “It might work for your students, but not mine,” they share stories and examples while dissecting how these quick defenses often mask deeper fears or misunderstandings about teaching, learning, and assessment. Along the way, they connect these reactions to issues of equity, institutional inertia, and the psychology of survivorship bias that keeps the “traditional grading” game alive. Links 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! Episode 21 – Alt Grading in Large Chemistry Classes: An Interview with Dr. Eden TannerEpisode 70 – A Reassessments Deep Dive with Becky PepplerEpisode 88 – Unearned Grades: Remaking the Conversation about Grade “Inflation”Episode 114 – Grading What Matters: Leveraging Extrinsic Motivation to Grow Students in Multiple Dimensions Resources The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building. The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12. Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading: The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia Blog Recommended Books on Alternative Grading: Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clarka...

    57 min

  3. SEP 30

    116 - Growing Student Autonomy and Agency (Without Driving Yourself Crazy!)

    What happens when we give students meaningful choices in their learning? In this episode, Sharona and Boz dive deep into the role of student choice, autonomy, and agency in both K–12 and higher education classrooms. They start with a simple question: if nearly every school and district mission statement includes “lifelong learners,” how do our grading practices actually support—or undermine—that goal? From there, they explore how alternative grading practices can not only give students more options but also build genuine agency that empowers learners to set goals, take action, and connect their education to their lives. Key Topics Covered: The difference between choice, autonomy, and agency—and why it matters.Real classroom examples, from multiple-choice homework sets to open-ended calculus projects.Research highlights, including a Science Advances study on how giving students control over attendance and homework increased their engagement and persistence.Why students often choose harder work (and stick with it!) when the choice is theirs.How alternative grading systems like Triple P (Preparation, Participation, Practice), contract grading, and ungrading create space for authentic student agency.The role of AI and efficient tools in helping instructors offer tailored pathways without burning out.Practical strategies for weaving agency directly into learning outcomes. Takeaway: Student choice alone isn’t enough. To truly prepare learners for life beyond the classroom, we need to design systems that move from choice → autonomy → agency, and grading reform is a powerful way to get there. Links 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! Choosing to Learn: The Importance of Student Autonomy in Higher Education – Science AdvancesMeasuring Student Success Skills: A Review of the Literature on Student Agency – Center for Assessment (see especially pp. 16–17) Resources The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building. The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12. Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading: The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia Blog Recommended Books on Alternative Grading: a...

    52 min

  4. SEP 23

    115 - Don't Do This Alone! The Importance of Community for Creating Sustainable Change

    In this episode, Sharona and Boz dive into the essential role of community in grading reform. They reflect on their own journeys—Boz beginning with a supportive colleague and PLCs in K-12, and Sharona starting out largely on her own in higher ed—and how those experiences shaped their perspectives. Together, they explore why building communities of practice is critical not only for getting started and avoiding burnout but also for ensuring sustainability and institutional change. The conversation highlights: The importance of professional learning communities (PLCs) and faculty learning communities (FLCs) as vehicles for change.How shared spaces like the Grading Conference, Slack groups, and disciplinary networks provide support, momentum, and new ideas.The differences and overlaps between K-12 and higher ed contexts when it comes to collaboration.Research pointing to strategies such as data use, communication, and professional learning as key levers for culture change.Why grading reform done in isolation rarely lasts, and how success multiplies when shared across a community. They also share upcoming opportunities for connection, including the new Alternative Grading Institute (December 17–18, 2025, hosted by the Center for Grading Reform), designed to help educators redesign courses with support and collaboration. This episode is a call to action: whether through local colleagues, national conferences, or virtual networks, community is the cornerstone of lasting grading reform. Links 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! Transformational Change Efforts: Student Engagement in Mathematics through an Institutional Network for Active LearningThe Importance of Community in Fostering ChangeMoving Toward Institutional Culture Change in Higher Education: An Exploration into Cross-functional Professional Learning CommunitiesCommunities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity Resources The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building. The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12. The Alternative Grading Institute - a 2-day intensive virtual training to kickstart your course redesign for alternative grading. Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading: The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia...

    50 min

  5. SEP 16

    114 - Grading What Matters: Leveraging Extrinsic Motivation to Grow Students in Multiple Dimensions

    In this week's episode, Sharona and Boz sit down with Marc Aronson, Dean of Academics at Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, CT. This fascinating conversations begins with grading what matters but goes into innovation ways of approaching honors classes, using authentic assessments in the form of final demonstrations of learning, and finding ways to use the external motivations of grades to grade things beyond discipline content and practices. Links 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! Cheshire Academy Resources The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building. The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12. Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading: The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia Blog Recommended Books on Alternative Grading: Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David ClarkSpecifications Grading, by Linda NilsenUndoing the Grade, by Jesse Stommel Follow us on Bluesky, 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...

    59 min

  6. SEP 9

    113 - Experience First, Formalize Later: How switching to standards-based grading schoolwide enabled drastic change in the classroom, with Jen Smielewski

    In this episode, Sharona and Boz sit down with Jen Smielewski, a math teacher at Avondale High School. Jen works with Doug Wilson, the principal at Avondale High School who was a guest on episode 101 about visionary leadership. In this episode, Jen shares the "experience first, formalize later" methodology that the entire math department has adopted through the change to standards-based grading and under Doug's leadership. From the adoption of Building Thinking Classrooms to the methods of daily assessment of common schoolwide standards, Jen provides detailed examples of the changes at Avondale and how they have unlocked success in her classroom. Join us for this amazing conversation! Links 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! Episode 101 – Visionary Leadership: Culture Change through Asking Questions – A 10-Year Journey to Building-Wide Grading Reform (with Doug Wilson)Building Thinking Classrooms In Mathematics, by Peter LiljedahlFAME: Formative Assessment for Michigan EducatorsA Beginner's Guide to Standards Based Grading, by Kate Owens Resources The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building. The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12. Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading: The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia Blog Recommended Books on Alternative Grading: Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David ClarkSpecifications Grading, by Linda Nilsena...

    57 min

  7. SEP 2

    112 - Squaring the Circle: Excellence vs Expertise with Jeff Anderson

    In this episode, Sharona and Boz welcome Jeff Anderson back to the pod to talk about power, excellence, expertise, and how to work within grading structures that we are no longer comfortable with. This fascinating conversation touches on everything from analyzing the existing power structures within education and how our individual grading policies uphold or challenge those power structures to the difference between excellence and expertise. We discuss what we actually want our students to learn and know in our classes. Links 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! The Landmark ForumCapital in the 21st Century, by Thomas Piketty Resources The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building. The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12. Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading: The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia Blog Recommended Books on Alternative Grading: Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David ClarkSpecifications Grading, by Linda NilsenUndoing the Grade, by Jesse Stommel Follow us on Bluesky, 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

    1h 8m

  8. AUG 26

    111 - Getting Unstuck from the Grade Wrap-Up: The Importance of Purpose Redux

    In this episode, Sharona and Boz look at another common area where instructors get stuck when redesigning a course to use alternative grading - the fourth decision of the grading architecture: wrapping up into a final grade. From too many choices to the issues with complexity, Sharona and Boz breaks things down and provide concrete ideas when looking at that final part of the grading architecture. Links 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! 5 – Getting Started Part 3: Developing your Grading Architecture30 – Listener Request – A Deep Dive into the Weeds of our Grading Architecture80: The Results are IN! Traditional Grading and Alternative Grading Went HEAD TO HEAD!!! What happened?88 – Unearned Grades: Remaking the Conversation about Grade “Inflation”97 – Distinguishing Different Letter Grades: The Three Hurdles Model Resources The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building. The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12. Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading: The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia Blog Recommended Books on Alternative Grading: Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clarka href="https://www.amazon.com/Specifications-Grading-Restoring-Motivating-Students/dp/1620362422/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IIE9IBXJOZY9&keywords=specifications+grading&qid=1690228778&sprefix=specifications+grading%252Caps%252C131&sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=thegradingpod-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=488cafcb421ce6921a7790e129a928b7&camp=1789&creative=9325" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

    55 min
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Grading is an extremely important and largely unexamined piece of the classroom puzzle. In this weekly podcast, Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley, two long time classroom instructors from the K-12 and Higher Ed worlds, explore the nuts and bolts of grading student work. From looking at traditional grading practices to other types of grading such as alternative grading, equitable grading, ungrading, and more, join us as we and our guests provide the research, practices, and details needed to create a more effective grading practice that supports student learning and success. For more information, check out our website, https://www.thegradingpod.com

Information

  • Creator
    Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    119
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley
  • Show Website
    The Grading Podcast

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