NWEA Launches "The Continuing Educator" Podcast Exploring Professional Learning Strategies for the Post-COVID Era

Season one to focus on grading for learning, grading policies, formative assessment and more

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Apr 26, 2021, 05:00 ET

PORTLAND, Ore., April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NWEA, a not-for-profit research and assessment provider, announced today the launch of its new professional learning podcast, The Continuing Educator. The podcast series, geared toward educational leaders and teachers, will discuss current challenges impacting classrooms, schools and systems, and explore strategies to help educators leverage this unique time of transition to revisit, reform and design a new future for American education.

The podcast is hosted by Jacob Bruno, head of the Professional Learning team at NWEA. The first season, moderated by NWEA's Lindsay Prendergast, Professional Learning Consultant, and Erin Beard, D.Ed., Content Designer, will focus on grading and feature thought-provoking interviews with key voices on topics such as grading for learning, grading policies, and formative assessment.

"The current atmosphere in classrooms today is like nothing we have seen before. There is a real need to relook at how we are teaching and evaluating students," said Prendergast. "This podcast series creates an opportunity to learn from visionaries who have real classroom experience as well as top thought leaders and researchers in professional learning to tackle the classroom challenges in the post-COVID era, starting with an in-depth look at grading practices."

The first season of The Continuing Educator podcast will have six episodes that focus on grading for learning. Episode one is available today with subsequent episodes going live each Monday:

Episode 1: Why do we grade? with Thomas Guskey and Chase Nordengren
Episode 2: What is "Grading for Learning?" with Myron Dueck and Brooke Mabry
Episode 3: The problem with grading behavior with Matt Townsley and Chris Thoms
Episode 4: Giving students a do-over with Ken O'Connor and VaShawn Smith
Episode 5: What's in your gradebook? with David Woodward and Katie Budrow
Episode 6: Tools for success: Get started with grading for learning with Heather McClure and Roberto D'Erizans

The Continuing Educator podcast is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple, Google, and Stitcher. To learn more about the series, visit https://thecontinuingeducator.buzzsprout.com/

About Episode 1
Let's begin our journey towards better grading practices! Grades have remained a fundamental component of our education system for over a century. Yet despite shifts across so many other areas of educational practice, grading practices have seen little, if any, change to match the demands of modern pedagogy. The pandemic revealed stark flaws in traditional grading protocols and simultaneously presented a profound opportunity for actual change. What should educators, families, and society in general consider around why change is needed and where to begin?

About NWEA

NWEA® (formerly known as Northwest Evaluation Association) is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency—and provide insights to help tailor instruction. Educators in more than 10,000 schools, districts, and education agencies in 146 countries rely on our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™ ; our personalized learning tool powered by Khan Academy, MAP® Accelerator™; and our state solutions that combine growth and proficiency measurement. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

SOURCE NWEA