

156.5K
Downloads
137
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

Monday Apr 07, 2025
11 - Would You Rather? (Assessment Edition)
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
Comments (0)
To leave or reply to comments, please download free Podbean or
No Comments
To leave or reply to comments,
please download free Podbean App.