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| In-Person Workshop | |||||||||
| Overview: | |||||||||
| Join Ken O’Connor for a dynamic and interactive two-day session designed to transform your approach to grading and reporting. Grounded in the principles of standards-based education, this session will guide participants through essential practices and strategies to ensure that grades are consistent, accurate, learning-focused, and meaningful (CALM). Day 1 begins by exploring the foundational "why" of grading and delving into O’Connor’s widely recognized 15 Fixes for Broken Grades framework. Through engaging discussions and collaborative activities, participants will examine each fix and reflect on how to apply them in their own contexts. Building on this foundation, the focus shifts to rethinking the reporting of student achievement. Participants will explore innovative, non-traditional reporting methods that align with evolving grading practices, with an emphasis on creating clear and purposeful communication systems. Key components such as report cards, parent portals, ePortfolios, and conferencing will be examined, equipping participants with tools to enhance transparency and effectiveness in communication. Finally, the session will address the challenges of implementing change, from overcoming resistance to aligning with existing systems. Guided discussions will provide practical strategies for navigating these barriers, ensuring that changes in grading and reporting practices lead to meaningful improvements. Participants will also have the opportunity to review and revise their current policies and practices, leaving the session with actionable steps to take back to their schools or districts. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to implement grading and reporting practices that truly reflect student learning and achievement. |
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| KEN O’CONNOR | |||||||||
| Ken O’Connor is an independent consultant who specializes in issues relating to communicating student achievement, specifically grading and reporting. He is a strong advocate for standards-based teaching, grading and reporting. A graduate of the University of Melbourne (B.A. Hon) and the University of Toronto (M. Ed), he has been a staff development presenter and facilitator in 47 states in the USA, 10 provinces and two territories in Canada, and in 34 countries outside North America. He also serves on the Academic Advisory Board for PowerSchool and consults with PowerSchool on aligning the relevant parts of their product with best practices in assessment, grading and reporting. His twenty-three year teaching career included experience as a geography teacher and department head at 6 schools in Toronto and Melbourne (Grades 7-12) starting in 1967. Ken was a Curriculum Coordinator responsible for Student Assessment and Evaluation and Geography for the Scarborough Board of Education (and then the Toronto District School Board) from March 1990 to June 1999. He also worked (half time) as a consultant on Secondary Assessment at the Ontario Ministry of Education from November 1998 to December 1999. He is the author of How to Grade for Learning: Linking Grades to Standards, Fourth Edition. Corwin, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2018, The School Leaders Guide to Grading, Solution Tree, Bloomington, IN, 2013, A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades. Second Edition, Pearson, Boston, MA, 2011, and Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades: A Repair Kit, Pearson, Toronto, 2012. Articles written by Ken have appeared in the NASSP Bulletin, Educational Leadership and School Administrator. |
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| Venue: American School of The Hague Address: Rijksstraatweg 200, 2241 BX Wassenaar, Netherlands Suggested Hotel
9.00 am to 4.00 pm Registration at 8:30 am on the 27th September 2025 |
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