If feedback is one of the highest-impact instructional practices in education, why is it often missing from the grading process? Together, we explore the difference between grades and meaningful feedback, why students frequently ignore feedback, how traditional grading practices can unintentionally stop learning, and what schools can do to shift students from asking “What did I get?” to “What do I need next?” The conversation also highlights practical classroom strategies educators can use immediately to make feedback more impactful and learning-centered.

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Join us as we tackle one of the most common questions schools ask during grading reform: How does standards-based grading work in AP and dual enrollment courses? The team explores the misconception that advanced courses require traditional grading practices and discusses how clarity around learning targets, aligned assessments, and meaningful feedback can still exist within AP and college-credit structures. They unpack the difference between instructional practices and reporting requirements, including how final letter grades can still emerge from a standards-based learning process. The conversation also dives into the role of College Board frameworks, the pressures schools face from higher education institutions, and why rigor should never be confused with grading complexity. Whether you teach AP, dual enrollment, or support secondary grading reform, this episode provides practical insight into maintaining learning-focused practices in advanced coursework.

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In this episode we explore a foundational question: What’s the purpose of assessment? Too often, assessment is viewed as a way to generate grades, but what if its true purpose is to gather evidence of learning? This episode challenges common practices, reframes assessment as a tool to reveal learning, and offers practical insights for shifting mindsets in classrooms and schools.

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Otus: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hubs.li/Q03StGb_0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

STAGR Center:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://firsteducation-us.com/stagr⁠⁠⁠

In this episode we explore why standards-based learning is never a “set it and forget it” process. Many schools assume that once standards are prioritized and learning targets are created, the work is complete—but in reality, this is where the real work begins. The team discusses the importance of regularly reviewing standards, proficiency scales, assessments, and gradebooks to ensure they remain aligned and meaningful. They also highlight common pitfalls schools encounter when they treat these tools as static documents rather than living parts of instruction. This episode offers practical guidance on building a sustainable review cycle that keeps clarity and student learning at the center. If your system is sitting in a binder instead of driving daily practice, this conversation is for you.

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Otus: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hubs.li/Q03StGb_0⁠⁠⁠⁠

STAGR Center: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://firsteducation-us.com/stagr⁠⁠

It is one of the most common questions we hear in grading reform work. In Episode 23, Becky, Don, and Garth explore why educators naturally look for examples before moving forward — and how that instinct can either support progress or unintentionally slow it down. They discuss how to structure school visits and cross district conversations so they inspire action, not comparison, and how to shift from waiting for a perfect match to building clarity in your own context.

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Otus: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hubs.li/Q03StGb_0⁠⁠⁠⁠

STAGR Center: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://firsteducation-us.com/stagr⁠⁠

Episode 22 of Fires in Grading features Larry Ainsworth in a practical conversation about why prioritizing standards is essential for meaningful grading reform. Don, Becky, and Garth examine what happens when schools try to teach everything with equal emphasis and why that approach often leads to shallow learning and limited feedback. Larry shares the research behind prioritization, explains the REAL process, and discusses how schools can identify what is truly essential for student success. The episode also highlights why textbooks are not designed to serve as prioritization tools and why clarity must come before alignment in grading systems. For schools working through the STAGR roadmap, this episode offers a clear look at why Step 02 shapes everything that follows.

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STAGR Center: ⁠⁠⁠https://firsteducation-us.com/stagr⁠

In Episode 21 of the Fires in Grading Podcast, Garth Larson, Becky Peppler, and Don Smith sit down with renowned researcher Thomas Guskey to explore the history of grading reform and why the same conversations continue to resurface generation after generation. Drawing on decades of scholarship, Dr. Guskey unpacks the origins of traditional grading practices, the evolution of standards-based grading practices, and the common reasons reform efforts stall. This episode offers historical perspective and practical guidance for leaders committed to building grading systems that are accurate, meaningful, and truly focused on learning rather than ranking and sorting.

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Otus: ⁠⁠https://hubs.li/Q03StGb_0⁠⁠

STAGR Center: ⁠⁠https://firsteducation-us.com/stagr