Grading Visible Learners

Learning With Fluidity, Not Finality
Dave Nagel - Education Consultant
Grading Visible Learners
March 2025 | 232 pages | Corwin
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eBook
ISBN: 9781071934319
Available from January 0001
Paperback
ISBN: 9781071934296
Available from January 0001

Description

Transform your grading and assessment practices into powerful tools for student success

When we implement a grading system that prioritizes completion and compliance and penalizes students who take risks, we disrupt the learning journey—not further it. It's time to align how we grade with what we know from research works best and help move learning forward for all students.

Grading Visible Learners provides educators with practical solutions for improving grading approaches, actions, and practices as well as concrete tools and strategies teachers and collaborative teams can adapt and use in their classrooms and schools right away. Inside you'll find

  • Traits to promote in students so they can drive their own learning
  • Examples of grading and feedback actions that foster assessment capability in students
  • Tools, templates, and work samples to help you improve your grading practices
  • Guidance on how to promote goal-setting as well as help teachers and students view grades as feedback rather than an ending point in the learning journey
  • Multiple ways for students to show growth and progress

In this hands-on guidebook, you will discover how to best impact learning and ensure that grading serves as a constructive tool and conduit to maximizing impact on student learning rather than a hindrance to student success.

Contents

Foreword by John Almarode

Foreword by John Almarode

Part I: Setting The Stage For Grading to Develop Great Learners

  • Chapter 1: Why Effective Grading Matters
  • Chapter 2: Developing Visible Learners Through Grading
  • Chapter 3: Challenges to Grading Visible Learners
  • Chapter 4: Core Grading Actions and the SI2TE Model
  • Chapter 5: Adult Mindframes Drive Student Learning
  • Chapter 6: Bringing Clarity to Grading

Part II: Classroom and PLC Actions to Develop Each of the 6 Traits of a Visible Learner Through Grading

  • Chapter 7: Great Learners Gauge Their Current Level of Understanding
  • Chapter 8: Great Learners are Ready to Take on Challenges
  • Chapter 9: Great Learners Adapt Tools to Guide Their Learning
  • Chapter 10: Great Learners Determine how to Seek Feedback and Recognize Errors are Opportunities to Learn
  • Chapter 11: Great Learners Evaluate Their Progress
  • Chapter 12: Great Learners are Successful in Recognizing Their Learning and Teach Others
  • Chapter 13: Effective Grading is a Critical Component of the Practice of Teaching

Afterword by John Hattie

Afterword by John Hattie

Additional materials

Description

Transform your grading and assessment practices into powerful tools for student success

When we implement a grading system that prioritizes completion and compliance and penalizes students who take risks, we disrupt the learning journey—not further it. It's time to align how we grade with what we know from research works best and help move learning forward for all students.

Grading Visible Learners provides educators with practical solutions for improving grading approaches, actions, and practices as well as concrete tools and strategies teachers and collaborative teams can adapt and use in their classrooms and schools right away. Inside you'll find

  • Traits to promote in students so they can drive their own learning
  • Examples of grading and feedback actions that foster assessment capability in students
  • Tools, templates, and work samples to help you improve your grading practices
  • Guidance on how to promote goal-setting as well as help teachers and students view grades as feedback rather than an ending point in the learning journey
  • Multiple ways for students to show growth and progress

In this hands-on guidebook, you will discover how to best impact learning and ensure that grading serves as a constructive tool and conduit to maximizing impact on student learning rather than a hindrance to student success.

Contents

Foreword by John Almarode

Foreword by John Almarode

Part I: Setting The Stage For Grading to Develop Great Learners

  • Chapter 1: Why Effective Grading Matters
  • Chapter 2: Developing Visible Learners Through Grading
  • Chapter 3: Challenges to Grading Visible Learners
  • Chapter 4: Core Grading Actions and the SI2TE Model
  • Chapter 5: Adult Mindframes Drive Student Learning
  • Chapter 6: Bringing Clarity to Grading

Part II: Classroom and PLC Actions to Develop Each of the 6 Traits of a Visible Learner Through Grading

  • Chapter 7: Great Learners Gauge Their Current Level of Understanding
  • Chapter 8: Great Learners are Ready to Take on Challenges
  • Chapter 9: Great Learners Adapt Tools to Guide Their Learning
  • Chapter 10: Great Learners Determine how to Seek Feedback and Recognize Errors are Opportunities to Learn
  • Chapter 11: Great Learners Evaluate Their Progress
  • Chapter 12: Great Learners are Successful in Recognizing Their Learning and Teach Others
  • Chapter 13: Effective Grading is a Critical Component of the Practice of Teaching

Afterword by John Hattie

Afterword by John Hattie

Additional materials

SAGE Publishing Logo

Grading Visible Learners

Learning With Fluidity, Not Finality


March 2025 | 232 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781071934296 $37.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781071934319 $35.00

Transform your grading and assessment practices into powerful tools for student success

When we implement a grading system that prioritizes completion and compliance and penalizes students who take risks, we disrupt the learning journey—not further it. It's time to align how we grade with what we know from research works best and help move learning forward for all students.

Grading Visible Learners provides educators with practical solutions for improving grading approaches, actions, and practices as well as concrete tools and strategies teachers and collaborative teams can adapt and use in their classrooms and schools right away. Inside you'll find

  • Traits to promote in students so they can drive their own learning
  • Examples of grading and feedback actions that foster assessment capability in students
  • Tools, templates, and work samples to help you improve your grading practices
  • Guidance on how to promote goal-setting as well as help teachers and students view grades as feedback rather than an ending point in the learning journey
  • Multiple ways for students to show growth and progress

In this hands-on guidebook, you will discover how to best impact learning and ensure that grading serves as a constructive tool and conduit to maximizing impact on student learning rather than a hindrance to student success.


Table Of Contents:

  • Foreword by John Almarode
  • Part I: Setting The Stage For Grading to Develop Great Learners
  • Chapter 1: Why Effective Grading Matters
  • Chapter 2: Developing Visible Learners Through Grading
  • Chapter 3: Challenges to Grading Visible Learners
  • Chapter 4: Core Grading Actions and the SI2TE Model
  • Chapter 5: Adult Mindframes Drive Student Learning
  • Chapter 6: Bringing Clarity to Grading
  • Part II: Classroom and PLC Actions to Develop Each of the 6 Traits of a Visible Learner Through Grading
  • Chapter 7: Great Learners Gauge Their Current Level of Understanding
  • Chapter 8: Great Learners are Ready to Take on Challenges
  • Chapter 9: Great Learners Adapt Tools to Guide Their Learning
  • Chapter 10: Great Learners Determine how to Seek Feedback and Recognize Errors are Opportunities to Learn
  • Chapter 11: Great Learners Evaluate Their Progress
  • Chapter 12: Great Learners are Successful in Recognizing Their Learning and Teach Others
  • Chapter 13: Effective Grading is a Critical Component of the Practice of Teaching
  • Afterword by John Hattie

Recent Product Reviews:

"The combination of research and theory combined with practical application tools, examples, and models in this book provides for a useful grading guidebook. It is important for any teacher developing their own grading principles, whether they are beginning their career and looking for an effective grading approach or they are a veteran teacher seeking to improve their current grading practices."
Krista Thomsen, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Lancaster School District, CA
"The authors have done a great service by bringing the cornerstone concepts of the Visible Learning methodology together with the practice of grading that actually promotes and focuses on learning."
B.R. Jones, PhD, Superintendent of Education, Former international Visible Learning Consultant, MI
"As a veteran teacher with 25 years of experience, I am always looking to refine my approach to meet the needs of my students and help them reach their potential. The ideas presented in Grading Visible Learners resonate deeply with me. The emphasis on shifting grading from a final assessment to a tool for ongoing feedback is a powerful reminder that our job as educators is to foster continuous growth rather than focus on static performance indicators. Grading should not just be a score but an opportunity for reflection, improvement, and deeper learning. I particularly appreciate the focus on clarity and formative assessment. Over the years, I have seen students benefit most when they understand not just where they stand but also how they can move forward. This book reinforces that grading practices should be flexible and reflective of students' progress, not just their ability to meet standards at a single point in time. The approach aligns with my and any teacher’s efforts to create a classroom environment where feedback is meaningful and students are empowered to take ownership of their learning. Embracing these strategies will continue to help me grow as a teacher and ensure that my students are not only aiming for a grade, but also developing as independent, confident learners. This is a must-read for any teacher who wants to make sure they are doing grading right!"
Jenny Starr
"Grading Visible Learners walks educational practitioners through the necessary steps of implementing the critical components of grading that provide clarity and effective feedback to all stakeholders. This is a must for all educators. Learning is not final, it’s fluid."
O’Shean Moran
"Grading Visible Learners is a must-read for any educator looking to transform their grading practices and create a classroom where learning is visible, measurable, and impactful. This book masterfully combines research-based strategies with practical applications. It will help educators move away from the commonly held beliefs about grading towards grading practices that align with the research and the principles of Visible Learning to truly impact student growth and achievement.
Dr. Dan Kalbfliesh, Superintendent of Schools, Green Island UFSD, NY

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