State Leaders Discuss Condition of Ed

On January 28, we gathered a virtual audience of nearly 300 for a discussion on the future of our education system during this unprecedented time. Watch the recording to hear our panel discussion with all three state education commissioners—Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley, Early Education and Care Commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy, and Higher Education Commissioner Carlos Santiago—moderated by Meghan Irons of the Boston Globe. You'll also heard from Massachusetts Secretary of Education James Peyser on the state of learning in this unprecedented time.

EVENT PROGRAM Q&A Resource Guide

PANELISTS
Commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy
MA DEPARTMENT OF EARLY EDUCATION AND CARE

Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley
MA DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Commissioner Carlos Santiago
MA DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

PANEL MODERATOR
Meghan Irons
EDUCATION REPORTER, THE BOSTON GLOBE

SPEAKERS

Secretary James Peyser
MA EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF EDUCATION

Jessica Boston Davis
DIRECTOR OF EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE, SOMERVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Celine Coggins
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GRANTMAKERS FOR EDUCATION
BOARD CHAIR, THE RENNIE CENTER

Chad d’Entremont
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE RENNIE CENTER

Blog

Rethinking Grading

March 28, 2024

Schools have assessed student learning and growth with essentially the same grading system for more than a century. Since this system was created, the field has learned so much more about the way students learn, the systemic inequities embedded in the design of traditional grading and assessment, and what type of learning leads to success in life. Grading should be aligned with what we know about the learning process, child and adolescent development, and the demands of career, college, and community life. But traditional grading is so deeply ingrained in our culture, that making changes to this system can seem like an insurmountable task. That’s why we partnered with DESE and reDesign to support five unique high schools as they interrogate their traditional grading practices and make shifts toward new systems that better measure student learning and growth.