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Session Description

Free ticketed event
The objective is for participants to understand how traditional grading practices undermine a student's learning and success, create inequity, and disrupt the instructor/student relationship and to learn the fundamental principles of creating a mastery-based grading system for their classes. Grading practices have an all-encompassing effect on student learning and classroom environment. In this workshop, participants will explore the destructive impact of traditional grading practices on student learning and success. From the ways in which traditional grading reinforces inequity to how it disrupts the instructor/student relationship, participants will look at over 100 years of literature and research to unpack what's wrong with traditional grading practices. This will be followed by a series of activities around the four pillars of Mastery-Based Grading, an alternative grading system that places student learning at the center of the grading practice. The four pillars are: clearly defined learning outcomes, assessment of mastery, eventual mastery, and helpful feedback. Participants will walk away from the workshop with an outline of a plan to redesign a course to utilize mastery-based grading as well as the resources needed to complete their redesign.

3 hours

Speakers

1. Sharona Krinsky

   California State University, Los Angeles

   Sharona and Robert are mathematics instructors and faculty development professionals who work nationally on helping instructors in all disciplines redesign their courses to utilize mastery-grading. They are currently the faculty trainers for the NSF funded CLIMB-UP grant with the College of Engineering at California State University Los Angeles. Over the past two years, they have helped Engineering faculty at Cal State LA successfully redesign sophomore level engineering classes including Statics, Strength of Materials, Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics, and Embedded Systems.

   Robert Bosley is an Adjust Faculty Member at California State University Los Angeles, Math Department and a faculty trainer for the NSF-IUSE CLIMB-UP grant to redesign sophomore level engineering courses to utilize Mastery Grading. Bosley is also a high school math teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District where he is a certified trainer in Mastery Grading. Sharona Krinsky is an Adjunct Faculty Member at California State University Los Angeles, Math Department and the co-PI of the NSF-IUSE CLIMB-UP grant to redesign sophomore level engineering courses to utilize Mastery Grading.

   Both Sharona and Bosley have worked in professional development related to mastery grading for the last five years in both the University and High School levels. In addition to running a dual enrollment program for the last six years which was redesigned to include mastery grading, they have also been on the organizing committee for The Grading Conference (formerly the Mastery Grading Conference) since its inception. Both have extensive experience in professional development both at the University and High School levels, including in training new and in-service faculty on active-learning and inclusive teaching pedagogies.

2. Mr. Robert Christopher Bosley

   California State University, Los Angeles

   Sharona and Robert are mathematics instructors and faculty development professionals who work nationally on helping instructors in all disciplines redesign their courses to utilize mastery-grading. They are currently the faculty trainers for the NSF funded CLIMB-UP grant with the College of Engineering at California State University Los Angeles. Over the past two years, they have helped Engineering faculty at Cal State LA successfully redesign sophomore level engineering classes including Statics, Strength of Materials, Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics, and Embedded Systems.

   Robert Bosley is an Adjust Faculty Member at California State University Los Angeles, Math Department and a faculty trainer for the NSF-IUSE CLIMB-UP grant to redesign sophomore level engineering courses to utilize Mastery Grading. Bosley is also a high school math teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District where he is a certified trainer in Mastery Grading. Sharona Krinsky is an Adjunct Faculty Member at California State University Los Angeles, Math Department and the co-PI of the NSF-IUSE CLIMB-UP grant to redesign sophomore level engineering courses to utilize Mastery Grading.

   Both Sharona and Bosley have worked in professional development related to mastery grading for the last five years in both the University and High School levels. In addition to running a dual enrollment program for the last six years which was redesigned to include mastery grading, they have also been on the organizing committee for The Grading Conference (formerly the Mastery Grading Conference) since its inception. Both have extensive experience in professional development both at the University and High School levels, including in training new and in-service faculty on active-learning and inclusive teaching pedagogies.