156.9K
Downloads
138
Episodes
The Tom Schimmer Podcast is a show about learning, leadership, and life. Primarily, it’s a podcast that focuses on current topics in K-12 education. Each week, Tom Schimmer (a best-selling education author, keynote speaker, and consultant) will lean on his 30 years of experience to keep listeners informed and entertained on the prevailing stories dominating the conversations about teaching and learning. This podcast also focuses on educational leadership by exploring how leaders can truly engineer a culture of continued professional growth. Occasionally, this podcast will explore the pursuit of success and happiness as it relates to any walk of life. Through a mix of interviews, commentary, current news stories, questions from listeners, and other segments, listeners will be well-equipped to meet the needs of learners regardless of what role they serve.
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
In this episode, Tom and Nat explore the intersection between assessment and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Specifically, they highlight five important connections:
- UDL means designing assessments from the start with flexibility in mind.
- Assessment must reflect the UDL principles of engagement, representation, and expression.
- Formative assessment is essential—it guides flexible, responsive design.
- Clear learning goals allow you to separate the what from the how.
- Self-assessment and reflection develop agency and expert learners.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS
- June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) ST Assessment Collaborative Institute
- Madison, WI
- September 22-23 (Tom) Grading from the Inside Out
- Atlanta, GA
- October 22-23 (Tom) Grading from the Inside Out
- San Diego, CA
- December 2-3, 2025 (Tom) Standards-Based Learning in Action
- San Diego, CA
NEW BOOK FROM TOM & NAT
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
Monday Apr 07, 2025
Monday Apr 07, 2025
In this episode, Tom and Nat play the game "Would You Rather," exploring five assessment dilemmas that teachers and schools often face:
Would You Rather:
#1: Allow students to redo assessments right up to report card deadlines, or cut off revisions two weeks early to protect your feedback quality and mental health?
#2: Suppress a student’s grade when evidence is insufficient, or assign a best-estimate level using professional judgment to avoid blank spaces on reports?
#3: Use a single holistic score to reflect overall proficiency on a standard, or break it down into multiple component scores for clarity — even if it overwhelms families?
#4: Prioritize the accuracy of the final report card by using only summative tasks, or include some formative data to recognize effort and encourage student morale?
#5: Give more weight to recent evidence to honor growth, or consider the full body of work to avoid inflated grades from last-minute surges?
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS
- June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) ST Assessment Collaborative Institute
- Madison, WI
RECENT BOOKS:
- "Redefining Student Accountability"
- "Concise Answers to FAQs about Assessment & Grading"
- "Jackpot: Nurturing Student Investment through Assessment"
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
Monday Mar 10, 2025
Monday Mar 10, 2025
Tom and Nat explore some important reminders about how to ensure that the assessment of both Project- and Inquiry-Based Learning are meaningful, cognitively complex, and substantive. Just "doing" PBL or Inquiry is not enough. The promise of these approaches to learning is deeper learning so our assessment practices need to reach that promise.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS
- MAR. 24-25 (Tom) SBLA 2-Day
- New Orleans, LA
- APR. 5-6 (Tom & Nat) NESA Learning Futures Summit
- Athens, Greece
- June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) ST Assessment Collaborative Institue
- Madison, WI
RECENT BOOKS:
- "Redefining Student Accountability"
- "Concise Answers to FAQs about Assessment & Grading"
- "Jackpot: Nurturing Student Investment through Assessment"
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
Monday Feb 24, 2025
Monday Feb 24, 2025
In this Tom Schimmer Podcast classic, Tom is joined by Gholdy Muhammad to discuss her book, "Cultivating Genius, an Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy."
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS
- MAR. 5-6 (Tom) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- San Antonio, TX
- MAR. 24-25 (Tom) SBLA 2-Day
- New Orleans, LA
- APR. 5-6 (Tom & Nat) NESA Learning Futures Summit
- Athens, Greece
- June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) ST Assessment Collaborative Institue
- Madison, WI
NEW BOOK
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
Monday Feb 10, 2025
Monday Feb 10, 2025
In this episode, Tom and Nat share a three-year checklist for implementing standards-based grading. Of course, every checklist must be checked" against the culture and nuances of each specific situation. but generally, this checklist will provide a road map that can at least initiate the journey; you can adjust from there
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS
- FEB 19 (Tom) PLC Summit KEYNOTE
- Phoenix, AZ
- MAR. 5-6 (Tom) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- San Antonio, TX
- MAR. 24-25 (Tom) SBLA 2-Day
- New Orleans, LA
- APR. 5-6 (Tom & Nat) NESA Learning Futures Summit
- Athens, Greece
- June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) ST Assessment Collaborative Institue
- Madison, WI
RECENT BOOKS:
- "Redefining Student Accountability"
- "Concise Answers to FAQs about Assessment & Grading"
- "Jackpot: Nurturing Student Investment through Assessment"
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
Monday Jan 27, 2025
Monday Jan 27, 2025
In this episode, Tom and Nat discuss the "Secrets to Self-Assessment." Having students competent in self-assessment is the ultimate outcome of teachers' assessment literacy; teachers need to teach students how to do it.
Tom and Nat discuss (1) Why Self-Assessment matters, (2) How to overcome the inevitable challenges and roadblocks that come with early implementation, and (3) Five effective self-assessment strategies.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS
- FEB. 6-7 (Natalie) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- Orlando, FL.
- FEB 19 (Tom) PLC Summit KEYNOTE
- Phoenix, AZ
- MAR. 5-6 (Tom) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- San Antonio, TX
- MAR. 24-25 (Tom) SBLA 2-Day
- New Orleans, LA
- APR. 5-6 (Tom & Nat) NESA Learning Futures Summit
- Athens, Greece
- June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) ST Assessment Collaborative Institue
- Madison, WI
RECENT BOOKS:
- "Redefining Student Accountability"
- "Concise Answers to FAQs about Assessment & Grading"
- "Jackpot: Nurturing Student Investment through Assessment"
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
Monday Dec 02, 2024
Monday Dec 02, 2024
In this episode, Tom and Natalie discuss the "Grading Trap," which inadvertently occurs when traditional grading practices - things like zeros for missing work, late penalties, and mixing behavior with academic performance - end up working against learning instead of supporting it. The "Grading Trap" can inadvertently sabotage great teaching.
Tom and Natalie close the episode with ways that teachers can recognize the "red flags" of the "Grading Trap" and how they can get themselves out of it.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS
- JAN. 24-25 (Tom) NESA Educators Training Institute
- Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
- FEB. 6-7 (Natalie) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- Orlando, FL.
- FEB 19 (Tom) PLC Summit KEYNOTE
- Phoenix, AZ
- MAR. 5-6 (Tom) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- San Antonio, TX
- MAR. 24-25 (Tom) SBLA 2-Day
- New Orleans, LA
- APR. 5-6 (Tom & Nat) NESA Learning Futures Summit
- Athens, Greece
- June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) ST Assessment Collaborative Institue
- Madison, WI
RECENT BOOKS:
- "Redefining Student Accountability"
- "Concise Answers to FAQs about Assessment & Grading"
- "Jackpot: Nurturing Student Investment through Assessment"
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
Monday Nov 18, 2024
Monday Nov 18, 2024
In this episode, Tom and Natalie discuss three quick assessment wins. Each "win" falls within a specific aspect of assessment.
- Formative: Engineer conversations
- Summative: Reorganize the gradebook.
- Student Agency: Feedback through consent
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EVENTS
- JAN. 24-25 (Tom) NESA Educators Training Institute
- Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
- FEB. 6-7 (Natalie) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- Orlando, FL.
- FEB 19 (Tom) PLC Summit KEYNOTE
- Phoenix, AZ
- MAR. 5-6 (Tom) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- San Antonio, TX
- MAR. 24-25 (Tom) SBLA 2-Day
- New Orleans, LA
- APR. 5-6 (Tom & Nat) NESA Learning Futures Summit
- Athens, Greece
- June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) ST Assessment Collaborative Institue
- Madison, WI
RECENT BOOKS:
- "Redefining Student Accountability"
- "Concise Answers to FAQs about Assessment & Grading"
- "Jackpot: Nurturing Student Investment through Assessment"
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
- Podcast on X
- Tom on X
- Natalie on X
- Podcast on IG
- Tom on IG
- Natalie on IG
- Email: assessthat24@gmail.com
Monday Nov 04, 2024
Monday Nov 04, 2024
In this episode, Tom and Natalie discuss what makes a good rubric. They discuss the art and science of rubrics and what constitutes a high-quality rubric. They also discuss the differences between analytic, holistic, and single-point rubrics.
UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
- JAN. 24-25 (Tom) NESA Educators Training Institute
- Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
- FEB. 6-7 (Natalie) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- Orlando, FL.
- FEB 19 (Tom) PLC Summit KEYNOTE
- Phoenix, AZ
- MAR. 5-6 (Tom) GFIO 2-Day Workshop
- San Antonio, TX
- MAR. 24-25 (Tom) SBLA 2-Day
- New Orleans, LA
- APR. 5-6 (Tom & Nat) NESA Learning Futures Summit
- Athens, Greece
- June 25-27 (Tom & Nat) Solution Tree Assessment Collaborative Institue
- Madison, WI
JENNIFER GONZALES RUBRICS BLOG:
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/holistic-analytic-single-point-rubrics/
RECENT BOOKS:
- "Redefining Student Accountability"
- "Concise Answers to FAQs about Assessment & Grading"
- "Jackpot: Nurturing Student Investment through Assessment"
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
- Podcast on X
- Tom on X
- Natalie on X
- Podcast on IG
- Tom on IG
- Natalie on IG
- Email: assessthat24@gmail.com
Monday Oct 21, 2024
Monday Oct 21, 2024
In this episode, Tom and Natalie ask, "Are Common Assessments Worth It?" Spoiler alert: they are, as long as certain fundamentals and conditions are adhered to. In particular, when common assessments are used formatively they can be a powerful process for enhanced learning for students and teachers!
UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
- Nov. 3-5: Aurora Institute Symposium
- New Orleans, LA
RECENT BOOKS:
- "Redefining Student Accountability"
- "Concise Answers to FAQs about Assessment & Grading"
- "Jackpot: Nurturing Student Investment through Assessment"
CONNECT WITH TOM & NATALIE
- Podcast on X
- Tom on X
- Natalie on X
- Podcast on IG
- Tom on IG
- Natalie on IG
- Email: assessthat24@gmail.com