Rethinking Grades: Starr Sackstein on Learner-Centered Classrooms
Welcome to the Modern Classrooms Project Podcast. Each week we bring you discussions with educators on how they use blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning to better serve their learners. In this episode, Toni Rose Deanon is joined by Starr Sackstein, the Massachusetts State Coordinator for Educators Rising, which advocates for learner-centered classrooms and challenges traditional grading methods.
Starr emphasizes the importance of giving students voice and choice in what they do and iterates that learning doesn't always look one way.
Here are three key takeaways from this podcast episode:
Challenging Traditional Assessment: Starr advocates for moving beyond "inhumane" and traditional grading practices, emphasizing the need for more learner-centered approaches that provide students with agency and voice.
The Power of Reflection and Community: Educators should constantly reflect on their teaching and assessment methods, and if they lack support within their school, they should seek out online communities to find like-minded individuals and resources. Starr urges educators to reflect on their practices, even if it's just questioning "at least one thing you do."
Prioritizing Collaboration and Meaningful Learning: Shifting from competitive to collaborative learning environments and ensuring that assignments are meaningful and relevant will motivate students more effectively than traditional grading.
Starr’s book, Hacking Assessment, aims to provide a sustainable and replicable system for teachers to transition to more student-centered methods, addressing common concerns about time and control. She highlights that a significant update in the second edition was the inclusion of diverse "hacks in action" from various educators and content areas. Starr also mentions her upcoming book, Solving School Challenges: The Everything Guide to Transformative Change, which focuses on celebrating and elevating successful solutions to educational challenges.
Discussion questions for PLC and PD:
Starr challenges the notion of "inhumane" assessment practices. What specific traditional assessment methods in your experience might be considered "inhumane" by her definition, and what are some immediate, small steps you could take to make them more learner-centered?
The summary highlights the importance of reflection and seeking community when innovating. How do you currently reflect on your own teaching and assessment practices, and what strategies could you employ to build or find a supportive professional community, especially if you feel isolated in your school building?
Starr states that "learning doesn't always look one way" and encourages fostering collaborative learning environments. In what ways can you adjust your classroom activities to prioritize collaboration over competition, and how might this shift impact student motivation and engagement?
Our Host
Toni Rose taught MS English for 10 years and will forever identify as a teacher. Toni Rose strives to be the teacher that they never had growing up, so they focus on anti-bias, anti-racist work and wants to create a brave space for everyone around them. As a queer Filipinx, they understand just how important it is to be represented, be valued, and belong. They especially love being a thought partner for and celebrating teachers.
Our Guest
Starr Sackstein
Starr Sackstein is an accomplished educator, author, and advocate, dedicated to transforming education through innovative practices. With a background in secondary humanities education, she has championed learner-centered paradigms, assessment reform, and technology integration. As an author of many influential books, including Hacking Assessment, Starr empowers educators globally with practical strategies for creating learner-driven classrooms. Her insights, shared through speaking engagements, workshops, and online platforms, inspire educators to reimagine traditional teaching paradigms. Starr's commitment to fostering critical thinking, growth, and equity underscores her role as a thought leader shaping the future of education. Starr is the Massachusetts State Coordinator for Educators Rising, an organization centered around solving the teacher shortage and creating a more diverse educator workforce locally. Additionally, Starr is COO of Mastery Portfolio, a boutique edtech company supporting schools as they shift to competency-based or standard-based learning and assessment.
If you like what you hear in this episode, share it with a friend or subscribe to get updates when new podcasts are published.