Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms

Book Synopsis: Raise standards and improve learning for all students through equitable grading–one of the most important responsibilities of teachers with major implications for students’ academic and life trajectories–is ironically also among the most enigmatic and frequently avoided topics in education. Although most teachers sense that common grading practices are often ineffective, there is limited understanding of how those practices can undermine effective teaching and harm students, particularly those historically underserved. It is long past due to implement grading practices that are more accurate, bias-resistant, and motivational, and which improve student learning, empower teachers, and transform classrooms as a result.

In this newly updated edition of the best-selling Grading for Equity, Joe Feldman provides a valuable resource for anyone invested in grading and its impact on students’ education, mental health, and future opportunities. Offering a research-based alternative to the status quo, this practitioner-friendly guide provides:

• Extensive revisions that reflect how the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement shifted traditional grading systems
• New data from both academic research and classrooms that demonstrate the benefits of equitable grading for all students
• Clear approaches to implement equitable grading practices
• Updated information on several equitable grading practices, including proficiency scales
• A new concluding chapter that explores implementing equitable grading system-wide

With a down-to-earth style driven by the author’s own curiosity as a teacher, principal, district administrator, and university instructor, this book will invite and challenge you to think about how more equitable grading, when implemented effectively, creates a more rigorous, humane, and positive school experience for all.