170 - Honors Without Honors Classes: One Year Later

What if students could earn honors recognition without enrolling in a separate honors class—and without simply doing more work? In this episode, Sharona and Boz welcome back Marc Aronson, who oversees faculty and the academic program at Cheshire Academy, for a follow-up to their conversation in Episode 114. A year after introducing a system that allows students to earn honors designations by demonstrating greater depth, sophistication, and quality of learning within mixed-ability classrooms, Marc shares what happened during the first year of implementation. The conversation explores how teachers designed honors expectations, what students and families experienced, and the challenges of creating meaningful opportunities for advanced learning without increasing competition or workload. Along the way, they examine questions of equity, student motivation, faculty buy-in, and the relationship between academic achievement and contributing to a community of learners.

Links

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Ep 114 - Grading What Matters: Leveraging Extrinsic Motivation to Grow Students in Multiple Dimensions

Resources

The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building.

The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12.

Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading:

The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia Blog

Recommended Books on Alternative Grading:

Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David ClarkSpecifications Grading, by Linda NilsenUndoing the Grade, by Jesse Stommel

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