COVID-19 altered nearly every facet of education last year. Watch the webinar with a panelist of experts as they discuss new research from NWEA on the academic progress of students during the pandemic and implications for policies and practices aimed to support recovery and advance learning for historically underserved communities.

How can policymakers and education leaders advance learning for all students next year and beyond? These equity-focused recommendations by NWEA Policy and Advocacy, informed by new NWEA research on student achievement trends in the 2020-2021 school year, can help federal, state, and district leaders support learning recovery for all students and lay a strong foundation for student success.

How can policymakers and education leaders advance learning for all students next year and beyond? Read highlights from new NWEA research on student achievement in 2020-2021 and equity-focused recommendations by NWEA Policy and Advocacy informed by this work for federal, state, and district leaders working to support learning recovery to lay a strong foundation for success for all students.

Traditional grading practices typically incorporate non-learning measures such as behavior and effort into an average. Yet by mixing achievement and behavior, we miscommunicate on both accounts. Students and parents still need information on both, but the critical step is to separate reporting, and Dr. Matt Townsley and NWEA User Experience Designer Chris Thoms will share with us both why this is crucial for equity, and how teachers can put it into action.

To successfully create the conditions where grading for learning practices may thrive, consider first the importance of ensuring student-centered assessment. Hear from experts on how formative assessment is crucial to cultivating a growth-mindset in a safe, respectful classroom environment, and learn how to invite students to be co-pilots in the assessment and feedback cycle rather than passengers.

Let’s begin our journey towards better grading practices! Grades have remained a fundamental component of our education system for over a century. Yet despite shifts across so many other areas of educational practice, grading practices have seen little, if any, change to match the demands of modern pedagogy. The pandemic revealed stark flaws in traditional grading protocols and simultaneously presented a profound opportunity for actual change. What should educators, families, and society in general consider around why change is needed and where to begin?

What happens when reliable data becomes a school’s driving force? At South Carolina’s Great Falls Elementary, it helped the adults align and the students grow—and created a culture of higher expectations for all.