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caralinejohnston's review against another edition
5.0
I read this to prepare for an upcoming pilot of a gradeless classroom. The chapter format was easy to follow. It was a quick but useful tool and I highly recommend it.
marchemvee's review against another edition
5.0
Sackstein captures the truest essence of assessment I have ever read. Aligning so wonderfully with my own personal beliefs, "Hacking Assessment" is organized in a way that is tangible and accessible for educators while addressing challenges posed by everything from our students to the education system itself. Whether you're an educator, a parent, or even a student I would recommend this book. Truly impactful, inspiring, and thought-provoking.
kat07's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a really nice introduction to the shift to a gradeless classroom. It outlines the basics of the process, beginning with how to present this new mindset. Then it continues with the emphasis of learning through choice, reflection, and self-grading. I was very pleased to realize that my shift to student choice has already helped me begin this new path!!
This book left me wanting more, but I guess that's the point of an introduction. I will definitely be researching this topic more!!!
This book left me wanting more, but I guess that's the point of an introduction. I will definitely be researching this topic more!!!
queenhufflegruff's review
5.0
Hacking Assessment focuses on engaging students in their learning by moving away from traditional grades that don't promote buy-in from many students, to learning how to assess and track mastery in a more meaningful and reflective way.
This is a quick read, and is highly practical for educators because, like the other books in the hacking series, it has a straightforward structure that can be easily used to revise systems in the classroom around grading. You can definitely take hacks on their own to begin this process, or as a whole around the subject of the book. My favorite hack in this book is how to teach students to become their own evaluators and graders, so that they are focused on their mastery and growth in their own work beyond the grade letter that a teacher would assign them.
Definitely work the read for teachers who want to move towards more fully engaging their students in the grading and assessment process.
This is a quick read, and is highly practical for educators because, like the other books in the hacking series, it has a straightforward structure that can be easily used to revise systems in the classroom around grading. You can definitely take hacks on their own to begin this process, or as a whole around the subject of the book. My favorite hack in this book is how to teach students to become their own evaluators and graders, so that they are focused on their mastery and growth in their own work beyond the grade letter that a teacher would assign them.
Definitely work the read for teachers who want to move towards more fully engaging their students in the grading and assessment process.
celistamar's review against another edition
5.0
Read it in one sitting!
As a first-time principal at a brand new charter school, I had about 1 week to put together a famoly handbook outlining all of our school's policies. The organization of the Hack Learning series and the clarity of Ms. Sackstein's writing made it so that all I had to do to create my school's assessment policies from scratch was zip through this book in about 1.5 hours! Thanks, Ms. Sackstein!
As a first-time principal at a brand new charter school, I had about 1 week to put together a famoly handbook outlining all of our school's policies. The organization of the Hack Learning series and the clarity of Ms. Sackstein's writing made it so that all I had to do to create my school's assessment policies from scratch was zip through this book in about 1.5 hours! Thanks, Ms. Sackstein!
skoppelkam's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of great information packed into a small package. Definitely a starting point for teachers looking to move into a feedback-focused classroom. There are a few ways I would have changed this to make it a bit more user friendly (the sections didn't feel like they were in any particular order, it would have been nice to have a section of resources in the back etc.) but overall I'm really grateful this little book exists! I know I will be lending it out a lot.
jskoglundonw's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciated this book's accessibility! It was an easy read, and having each "hack" clearly delineated into a different chapter will make it easy for me to go back when I want to revisit something. There are also several ideas from this book that I'm excited to explore more, including more student reflections and portfolio assessments. I do feel that it will improve my classroom practice.
However, while I liked the book's simplicity, for me, this was also maybe its biggest issue. There were multiple chapters without details that ended with me going, "Okay, but..." Also, moving to a gradeless classroom is a pretty big shift for most teachers, so having scholarly research backing some of the proposals would have made the claims more compelling.
Overall, if you're wanting a taste of the philosophy and some practices of a gradeless classroom, this is a good introductory read!
However, while I liked the book's simplicity, for me, this was also maybe its biggest issue. There were multiple chapters without details that ended with me going, "Okay, but..." Also, moving to a gradeless classroom is a pretty big shift for most teachers, so having scholarly research backing some of the proposals would have made the claims more compelling.
Overall, if you're wanting a taste of the philosophy and some practices of a gradeless classroom, this is a good introductory read!
angierpowers's review against another edition
I absolutely LOVED that this book provided SPECIFIC examples of how an ACTUAL teacher with ACTUAL students implemented "going gradeless" in a classroom, but I wish it had more examples from different subject areas. For that reason, I think that this book is perfect for English/Language Arts teachers, but any secondary teacher could benefit from it.
In the conclusion, Starr Sackstein writes, "Students inherently want to grow and learn; their curiosity drives them in ways that are hard to explain. The traditional grading system deprives them of that curiosity and once detached from it, they forget the spark" (130). What ideas from the book do you think most tap into students' inherent curiosity? What "hack" would you add to the book?
In the conclusion, Starr Sackstein writes, "Students inherently want to grow and learn; their curiosity drives them in ways that are hard to explain. The traditional grading system deprives them of that curiosity and once detached from it, they forget the spark" (130). What ideas from the book do you think most tap into students' inherent curiosity? What "hack" would you add to the book?