{"podcast":{"title":"The Grading Podcast","slug":"the-grading-podcast-6385485","podcast_index_feed_id":6385485,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-grading-podcast/","website_url":"http://www.thegradingpod.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/6602f6ca-7705-4602-8ea1-d3ce35620d10/rzjO8KqmcSco4McBUhYcWCVM.png","author":"Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley","episode_count":160,"summary":"Grading is an extremely important and largely unexamined piece of the classroom puzzle. In this weekly podcast, Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley, two long time classroom instructors from the K-12 and Higher Ed worlds, explore the nuts and bolts of grading student work. From looking at traditional grading practices to other types of grading such as alternative grading, equitable grading, ungrading, and more, join us as we and our guests provide the research, practices, and details needed to create a more effective grading practice that supports student learning and success. For more information, check out our website, https://www.thegradingpod.com","last_synced_at":"2026-07-28T22:20:32.773303+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-grading-podcast-6385485"},"episode":{"title":"137 - Mild, Medium, Spicy: Gamifying Mastery in Grade 7 Math with Gabriel Despatie","slug":"137-mild-medium-spicy-gamifying-mastery-in-grade-7-math-with-gabriel-despatie","published_at":"2026-02-24T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-grading-podcast-6385485/137-mild-medium-spicy-gamifying-mastery-in-grade-7-math-with-gabriel-despatie","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-grading-podcast-6385485","url":"https://thegradingpod.com/podcast-test-page/137-mild-medium-spicy-gamifying-mastery-in-grade-7-math-with-gabriel-despatie","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/c0e1a18f-cc08-4e52-a7bd-a93fe772742a.mp3","summary":"Grade 7 math teacher Gabriel Despatie (Ontario) shares what happened when he tried to “overlay” standards-based grading onto nine years of refined tests—and why he ultimately scrapped his assessments after realizing they were packed with filler that measured rounding, formatting, and test-taking more than the actual learning goals. Gabriel walks through the system that finally clicked: a weekly “Learning Carnival” where students work one standard at a time with three backwards-compatible performance levels (mild/medium/spicy), two questions per level, and unlimited retakes that count as mastery whenever they happen. The conversation dives into practical logistics (tracking sheets, retake flow, managing chaos), the surprising motivational impact of gamified mastery markers (smiley faces and fist pumps), and what changed when he temporarily hid percentage grades—only to see retakes drop as soon as the numbers returned. Along the way, Gabriel connects alternative grading to Building Thinking Classrooms, shares how Open Middle tasks improved assessment quality (without punishing reading comprehension), and reflects on why meaningful grading reform takes time, iteration, and community support. Links Please note - any books linked here are likely Amazon Associates links. Clicking on them and purchasing through them helps support the show. Thanks for your support! Building Thinking Classrooms , by Peter Liljedahl Modifying Your Thinking Classroom for Different Settings, by Peter Liljedahl Resources The Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building.…","meta_description":"Grade 7 math teacher Gabriel Despatie (Ontario) shares what happened when he tried to “overlay” standards-based grading onto nine years of refined tests—a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3254,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-grading-podcast-6385485/episodes/137-mild-medium-spicy-gamifying-mastery-in-grade-7-math-with-gabriel-despatie/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-grading-podcast-6385485/137-mild-medium-spicy-gamifying-mastery-in-grade-7-math-with-gabriel-despatie.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}