Rachel Johnson

Just finished doing all my safety training for the beginning of the school year and I’m left wondering what job I actually do… am I a teacher or a nurse?

If a student fully understands the material by week 6, does it matter that they failed the quiz in week 2?

Because grading systems that punish early mistakes discourage growth.

Agree or disagree?

#EduSky #Grading

Hot take: AI can support learning, but it shouldn’t be doing the grading.

Grading done right builds trust and connection. Traditional grading breaks it. Alternative grading restores it.

Where (if anywhere) do you see AI fitting into grading?

#AlternativeGrading #GradingReform #EduSky

I’m teaching a new course in Sept and I know I don’t want to do traditional grading but I’ve been struggling with coming up with a structure. Luckily my brain has continued to work on this problem in my dreams because I got the most brilliant idea in my sleep! Now to figure out the details. #EduSky

What if students aren’t "checked out". What if the system is?

I’ve spent the past couple years rethinking grading: what mastery means, how to make feedback matter, and how to stop chasing points.

What’s one grading shift that’s actually worked for you?

#AlternativeGrading #GradingReform #EduSky

What if grades empowered learning?

I've seen students thrive when they can revisit concepts + reassess without penalty. It's not endless chances, but strategic opportunities for true mastery & confidence.

What growth have you seen? 👇

#GradingReform #MasteryLearning #StudentConfidence #EduSky

Grading wasn’t designed for real learning OR for AI like ChatGPT. After 15+ years teaching science, I see mastery grading helping, but AI changes everything. We need clear, honest grading that adapts to this new reality. What are you seeing in your classroom?
#RethinkTheGrade #EduSky

I followed all the best practices.
Clear rubrics. Detailed feedback.

But something still felt off.

What if the problem wasn’t me or my systems, but the grading structure itself?

#EduSky #GradingReform

I don’t write much on student work anymore.

I circle, I question... I prompt.

Because the more I say, the less they think.

Now they correct first, then we talk.
Because whoever does the work, does the learning.

#gradingreform #masterylearning #EduSky

3 signs your grading system might be hurting learning:

→ Students obsess over part marks
→ Feedback is ignored
→ “What can I do to boost my grade?” becomes the norm

Sound familiar?

#EduShift #MasteryLearning #EduSky

My students wrote their IB Chemistry HL exams this spring - most barely studied (senioritis!)… and over 65% scored a Level 5 or higher. Only 4% were below Level 4.

We used mastery-based grading all year.
Turns out, deep learning sticks.

#gradingreform #IBTeaching #EduSky

I used to spend hours splitting hairs over taking off a mark vs a half mark.

Now I use 3–5 level scales. I grade faster, give clearer feedback, and rarely bring work home.

The 0–100 scale isn’t rigourous. It’s exhausting.
Who else has felt this?

#teacherburnout #gradingreform #EduSky

“Mastery grading lowers standards.”

❌ FALSE.

It RAISES them because students don’t get to move on until they actually understand.

#GradingReform #EdThoughts #EduSky #AlternativeGrading

Now? My students are more confident, more reflective, and more willing to try.

Mastery-based grading isn’t about being soft.

It’s about being clear, consistent, and focused on learning—not compliance.

#AltGrading #AssessmentForLearning #GrowthMindset

When I started changing my grading practices, some colleagues told me I was being too soft.
Some even emailed me to suggest I go back to “real grading.”

It was frustrating—but I kept going.

Why? Because I could see what traditional grades were doing to my students.

#EduSky #GradingReform

It’s like having a curriculum assistant who never misses a detail.

If you're designing around clarity, growth, and feedback - not just points - AI tools like this are game-changers.

#StandardsBasedGrading #TeacherTech #LessonPlanning #AltGrading

The outcomes it generates is a great starting off point to develop the standards I assess - which makes grading clearer, more focused, and aligned from day one.

No more vague objectives or guesswork.

I upload all my curriculum docs, unit plans, and textbooks into NotebookLM.

Then I ask it:
“Based on these sources, what are 15–20 key learning outcomes for this course?”

It reads everything and gives me a solid draft to work from.

I use NotebookLM to generate my course learning outcomes quickly and accurately.

Here's how I do it ⬇️

#EduSky #AIinEducation #MasteryBasedGrading #GoogleEDU

Student writing a test.

I used to catch students cheating all the time.
Not out of laziness, but stress.

One shot to get it right. No revisions.
Points > learning.

Since switching to mastery-based grading?
The pressure’s gone.
Cheating? Rare now.

More chances = better choices

#MasteryLearning #RethinkGrading #EduSky

My students now ask:
“Can I try that again?”
“Can you tell me what I missed?”

Not:
“How many marks is this worth?”

That shift is everything.

#AlternativeGrading #SecondarySTEM #EduSky

How to Get Students to Focus on Learning—Not Grades With a few shifts in the classroom, teachers can encourage students to pay more attention to the skills they are building than to a number or letter score.

Teachers see it all the time: students (and parents) who are obsessed with grades. Here are 4 strategies that can shift the focus from “What grade did I get?’ to “What did I learn?” 🌟 💯

#EduSky #education

Hot take:

Allowing retakes isn’t “soft” - it’s scientific.
Mastery takes time.

Reassessment isn’t a second chance.
It’s a better snapshot of learning.

#AlternativeGrading #RethinkTheGrade #EduSky

Education is and always will be about growth not getting a good grade. This is why the push towards ungrading is growing. It is so important to remember what school is really for! If your classroom is a place of learning the grades will fall into place if you give them the opportunity to show growth

Grading tip:

Swap: “What grade did you get?”

For: “What did you learn, and what are you working on next?”

The language we model matters.

#MasteryBasedGrading #FeedbackMatters #EduSky

If a student can’t redo an assessment, is it really about learning?

Let’s stop pretending “real life doesn’t allow retakes.”
Most of adult life IS retakes.

#AlternativeGrading #EduSky

Over and over again, students tell me:
→ “This is way less stressful.”
→ “I feel like I’m actually learning.”
→ “I want to improve, not just get it over with.”

This shift changed everything - for them and for me.

👉 Have you ever had a moment that made you rethink grading?

#EduSky #GradingReform

In the systems I've created, I’ve built in:
→ Multiple opportunities to demonstrate each learning outcome
→ Space for thoughtful revisions
→ And time to reflect and act on feedback before moving on

And the result?

My students no longer see assessments as one-and-done.
They see them as feedback.
They know they’ll get another opportunity to show what they’ve learned and they take it seriously.

And honestly? It felt like a battle I didn’t want to fight. It made me feel like the enemy.

But then I found a better way.

I started rethinking the purpose of grades and shifted to a mastery-based approach.

Now, handing back assessments is one of the most rewarding parts of my teaching.