Mastery Matters: Transforming Grading to Reflect Real Learning

Learning Outcomes: I am able to articulate and define what my learner’s grades means. Grades are powerful data tools for my instruction.

In an educational landscape where grades often obscure more than they reveal, how can we transform assessment into a true reflection of student learning? Join us for an engaging session on mastery-based learning and competency-based grading, where we will challenge traditional grading practices and explore fresh approaches that prioritize student growth. Together, we will unpack which grading practices are worth keeping and which might be holding your learners back.

Expect to leave equipped with strategies to ensure that assessment becomes powerful data tools—ones that clearly communicate progress, skills, and readiness to students and parents alike. You will walk away contemplating what your students’ grades truly represent and how this can impact your instruction and your students’ success. Intended for educators looking to align their grading with deeper learning, this session includes meaningful discussion and practical takeaways to help you build a culture of assessment grounded in mastery.

Dr. Julie Kjeer claimed all throughout her undergraduate program that she definitely was not interested in teaching. However, after a short stint as an actuary, she could not resist the pull and joined Bethany Lutheran College as a professor of mathematics. Recently, Kjeer stepped into the Dean of Faculty position while continuing to teach. She is also the program lead for the mathematics education major at Bethany. Kjeer enjoys all conversations centered around teaching and learning. From self-assessments on an infinite spectrum to oral exams to electronic portfolios, she has dabbled in multiple forms of assessment. Not surprisingly, her number one Clifton strengths trait is “learner.”