📊 Percentage #grades FEEL objective because they involve math. But a percentage doesn't communicate learning well and is no more objective than a teacher's judgment. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat #ATAssessment #EduSky
Josh Kunnath, EdD
@joshkunnath.bsky.social
High school English teacher; writer, researcher, coach & consultant in #grading & #assessment; editor of ojed.org/JSARD; passionate about equity in education
I’m proud to share that JSARD’s 2026 Spring Issue is out! 🌱📕📖 It features 4 research articles on K-12 school leadership from researchers from around the world. 🌎 🏫 Check it out here👇 www.ojed.org/JSARD
Here's my retake #grading policy: 👉 The reassessment score will replace the previous score if it is higher. There is no penalty for retaking. Here's why 👇 joshkunnath.com/2026/04/13/g...
Grading Reassessments: Creating a Principle-Aligned Policy
The post discusses grading policies within a mastery learning reassessment system (MLAS), highlighting five common flawed practices that compromise fairness and learning. It emphasizes the importan…
joshkunnath.com
Reassessment #grading gets messy fast. Average scores? Cap them? Limit who can retake? These choices reflect what we value: compliance or learning. A simpler shift: ➡️ Replace the score if it’s higher. No penalties. Grades should reflect what students know—period. Read more in my new post.
Grading Reassessments: Creating a Principle-Aligned Policy
The post discusses grading policies within a mastery learning reassessment system (MLAS), highlighting five common flawed practices that compromise fairness and learning. It emphasizes the importance of time, increased learning, parallel validity, and equitable grading. A proposed grading policy aligns with these principles, supporting accurate representation of student learning without penalties for prior performance.
joshkunnath.com
After failure, NASA didn’t quit—they learned and tried again. What if classrooms did the same? A mastery learning #reassessment system gives students time, #feedback, and multiple chances to reach high standards. Small steps can lead to big gains in student learning.
Lessons from NASA: Reassessing Learning for Student Success
After failure, NASA didn’t abandon its mission—they adjusted, learned, and tried again. What if classrooms did the same? A mastery learning reassessment system ensures all students reach high standards through time, feedback, and multiple opportunities. This post outlines a practical, sustainable approach to making “all students succeed” a reality.
joshkunnath.com
POWERFUL keynote from Dr. Bettina Love at #CATE2026, urging educators to “do the work” of combating injustice in our institutions and communities.
Improving Quality of Feedback with Hattie’s Feed Up, Feed Back, Feed Forward Protocol As teachers, we know the importance of feedback in advancing our students' learning. We see it in our classrooms in those magic moments when their eyes light up after we suggest a new way to solve a problem or…
Improving Quality of Feedback with Hattie’s Feed Up, Feed Back, Feed Forward Protocol
As teachers, we know the importance of feedback in advancing our students' learning. We see it in our classrooms in those magic moments when their eyes light up after we suggest a new way to solve a problem or write a thesis statement. This importance is also shown in educational research. In John Hattie's most recent Visible Learning book (2023), he presents findings from his meta-synthesis of feedback research, which show a medium-to-strong impact (.51 ES) of feedback on student learning.
joshkunnath.com
Thrilled to share our newly published article in the Journal of School #Leadership: “Silver Lining or Missed Opportunity? A Mixed Methods Study of COVID-19 School Closures and #Grading Reform Efforts in K-12 Schools.” doi.org/10.1177/1052...
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Check out my new post on peer feedback: The potential impact, keys to success, and practical implementation steps.
Learning Out Loud: The Potential Impact of Peer Feedback and Steps to Get Started
Nice work! fix ur spelling Overall, looks pretty good🙂 This makes no sense!? These are some examples of peer feedback I've seen and heard in my ELA classroom. They include a mixture of broad praise, editing suggestions, vague affirmations, and the occasional empty criticism. I'd like to say this only happened in my early years of teaching and that I haven't heard anything like it in years, but that wouldn't be completely true.
joshkunnath.com
"Ungrading" student practice can improve grading accuracy and foster a growth mindset. But making it work in the classroom can be challenging. I present motivation considerations to replace the role of grades, along with 5 steps to get started.
How Can Teachers Motivate Students to Practice Without Points?
This article advocates for "ungrading" student practice, emphasizing its role in improving grading accuracy and fostering a growth mindset. By eliminating grades for classwork and homework, students can focus on learning without the pressure of points. It also presents strategies to motivate students intrinsically and extrinsically, ensuring their engagement in practice.
joshkunnath.com
Reintroducing the Grading and Assessment Blog: Teacher Goal-Setting "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." — Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior With the coming of 2026, I've decided that enough is enough! It's time for me to…
Reintroducing the Grading and Assessment Blog: Teacher Goal-Setting
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." — Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior With the coming of 2026, I've decided that enough is enough! It's time for me to return to my website and blog. For the last three years or so, this site merely existed.
joshkunnath.com
The Dunning-Kruger Effect plays a big part in #grading reform! Proper preparation & professional learning is key to prevent misunderstandings, poor implementation, & major pushback from stakeholders 💡📚💭
Looking forward to doing something often neglected in my classroom: guiding students in #data analysis! To start: glows & grows of class data by standard; then they'll look at individual data. Next: students record in their notebook data page. Finally: determine next steps
Clear is kind. But deceptive #grading practices, like when teachers intentionally conceal the fact that HW/classwork isn't graded, are detrimental to trust & grade #integrity in the long run. Deception shouldn't be used as a motivational strategy.
I really enjoyed Rick Stiggins’ session on student confidence in #assessment yesterday at the #VisibleLearning conference in Las Vegas. His writing on balanced assessment has been a huge influence on my work & writing, and it was great to see the continual evolution of his work!
It’s wild how a few words can change your whole outlook on things. Thankful for my son’s kindness as I’m working late tonight ❤️💙
“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something.” —T H White, The Once and Future King
A full agenda today working alongside @yheasley.bsky.social to guide a really thoughtful & focused group of @KHSD_Official teachers from 8 school sites in #grading & #assessment reform. I'm looking forward to seeing action research results in May!
Not all standards are created equal. Teachers should prioritize those with endurance, leverage, & readiness for the next level—ensuring students master the most critical skills. #competencybasedgrading
A clear grading purpose = informed grading decisions. When teachers establish a focused grading purpose, students, parents, & school leaders can better understand & use grades effectively. #competencybasedgrading
Honored to be named one of @TheSocialCore's "Coaches on the Move," along with my co-author and colleague @ryansikkes.bsky.social! 🙏🙏 Here's the white paper that earned us that designation: thecorecollaborative.com/wp-content/u... #CBG #CBL
A company isn't a family. Parents don't fire their kids for low performance or furlough them in hard times. A better vision for a workplace is a community—a place where people bond around shared values, feel valued as human beings, and have a voice in decisions that affect them.
The 3 Ghosts of Inaccurate #Grading: 1) The Zero 👻 2) The Traditional Percentage Scale 👻 3) The Average 👻 When combined, these 3 ghosts lead to ghastly inaccurate grades. 👇👻 See👻 Below👻👇
Do your #grading & #assessment practices help to prepare students for the future? Our paper presents a practical 4-stage progression of grading reform that culminates in competency-based grading & assessment. You can read about it here👇 thecorecollaborative.com/wp-content/u...
Just got on Bluesky. Who are the educators I can follow interested in #grading & #assessment?