Our Impact

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A Pathway to Opportunity for Every Student

There is clear evidence that Crescendo Education Group supports efforts to enhance consistency and reliability in grading practices, strengthen relationships between students and teachers, and prioritize student learning based on mastery of content rather than on points or behavior.

Powerful Learning Experiences for Educators

Teachers consistently share that Crescendo Education Group’s professional development has a profound impact on them. It doesn’t just prepare them to implement more effective grading and assessment practices, it also inspires them to improve other aspects of teaching and learning connected to grading: lesson design, feedback strategies, teacher collaboration, and parent communication.

Teachers would highly recommend our professional development to other teachers

Teachers find 1:1 coaching valuable from our Grading for Equity Coaches

Teachers report that our workshops had a higher impact vs. others

Improved Grading Practices Benefit Everyone

When teachers implement equitable grading practices, everyone benefits: students, the teachers themselves, parents, and anyone who relies on grades to be accurate and fair. In our organization’s work with over 11,000 teachers and hundreds of districts, schools, and colleges, there are consistent, meaningful results:

Students

Decreased Stress in Classrooms

90%

of teachers report reduced stress among students in their classrooms

Shift from a Focus on ‘Points’ to Learning

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It has been nice to have the conversations with students change from ‘How many points do I need?’ to ‘What do I need to learn?’

Stronger Motivation and Belief in Their Own Success

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Since moving to equitable grading, students who fall behind can more easily improve, decreasing the number of students who give up because they have no hope

Greater Agency and Responsibility

3x

Teachers are 3x more likely to agree that students understand how grades are determined and know how to improve them after our professional development

Teachers

Improved Relationships with Students

85%

of teachers report improved relationships with students

Positive Changes to Grading Practices and Overall Teaching

97%

of teachers report improvement in not just grading, but their overall teaching

More Effective Teaching

98%

of teachers report that their changes to grading has improved learning for all students

Increased Commitment and Connection

½

of teachers report that our professional development made them more likely to stay in their school or district

Leaders

Teacher-driven Support for Fair Grading

98%

of teachers report positive changes to their approach to grading following our professional development

Increased Student Success

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We’ve tried a lot of strategies to reduce achievement gaps across our district. This professional development is the first thing that’s moved the needle

Improved Job Satisfaction and Teacher Retention

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This work of improving grading has brought the joy back into teaching for me

Improved Grading Systemwide

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This empowers me to be a catalyst for change – to make grading as fair and equitable as it can be for our students across the district

Research-Based Approach to Ensure Equitable Grading for Every Student

Because equitable grading focuses on mastery of content, students receive grades that reflect their true learning without being inflated or deflated by other factors. Independent researchers at Elite Research Statistical Consulting, LLC, have measured the impact of improved grading practices on student grades and consistently found that our equitable grading professional development with teachers and leaders results in grades that are more accurate and fair.

Crescendo Education Group’s professional development results in:

Decrease in student failure rates
Decrease in grade inflation
Increase in the correlation between teacher-assigned grades and standardized test scores
(grading becomes more valid and reliable)

Learn more about the research on equitable grading:

Our Partners Have Seen the Impact of Improved Grading

Since 2014, we have supported hundreds of schools and districts nationwide in their journey towards equitable grading practices. Whether you’re just starting the conversation or have already implemented some strategies, we tailor our approach to meet you where you are, accelerating your progress towards grading systems that are accurate, bias-resistant, motivational, and support student learning.

Here are a few examples of our partnerships and the impact of this important work.

San Leandro Unified School District

Multi-year professional development for teachers in district’s high school and middle schools across all content areas.