Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter 1: The Problem With Traditional Grading Practices
Problems With Traditional Grades
My WHY
Grades Are Hotly Debated in Education
If We Cannot Throw Out Grades Completely, What Can We Do?
Blended Learning to the Rescue
Chapter 2: Embracing a Partnership Model With Blended Learning
From Hierarchy to Partnership
Partnership Principles for Teachers and Students
How Can Blended Learning Support a Teacher–Learner Partnership?
Chapter 3: Who Is Doing the Work in Your Classroom?
Lack of Time and Exhaustion Are Barriers to Innovation
Who Is Doing the Work?
Reframe the Way You Think About Your Work
Flip the Workflow in Your Classroom
Chapter 4: Encouraging Metacognition in Your Classroom
The Power of Metacognition
Five Strategies Designed to Develop Metacognition in the Classroom
Building a Metacognitive Practice Into the Classroom With Blended Learning
Chapter 5: Flip Learning With Videos
The Benefits of Using Videos With Students
Video Is Versatile
Addressing Concerns About Using Video in School
Creating Your Own Video Content
Curating Video Content Online
Chapter 6: Goal Setting
Motivating Unmotivated Students
Goal-Setting Strategies
Chapter 7: Real-Time Feedback Using the Station Rotation Model
Troubleshooting Challenges With Traditional Approaches to Feedback
Spotlight Blended Learning Model: Station Rotation Model
Tucker Time Feedback Station
Real-Time Feedback Tips
Tech Can Make Giving Feedback Easier
Deciding on the Feedback Format That Fits
Chapter 8: Rubrics for Learning
Rubrics as Roadmaps
Rubric Design: Avoiding Common Mistakes
Using Rubrics to Further Student Learning
You Don’t Need to Assess Every Aspect of Every Assignment
Single Skill Rubric: Less Is More
Chapter 9: Side-by-Side Assessments
Ask Yourself, Why Am I Grading This?
Select a Blended Learning Model and Design Your Lesson
Select Specific Grading Criteria for Your Side-by-Side Assessments
Prior to Side-by-Side Assessments, Ask Students to Complete a Self-Assessment
Preparing for Side-by-Side Assessments
Conducting Side-by-Side Assessments
Chapter 10: Students Communicate Directly With Parents About Their Progress
It’s Unrealistic for Teachers to Communicate With All Parents Regularly
Email Updates
Publishing Student Work
Student-Led Conferences
Preparing for Student-Led Conferences
Virtual Student-Led Conferences
Chapter 11: Grade Interviews
Students Become Active Agents in the Grading Process
Apply for a Grade Interview
Preparing for Grade Interviews
Conducting Grade Interviews
The Possibilities of a Partnership Model
The Goal: Achieving Balance
References
Index

About the Author

Catlin Tucker is a Google Certified Innovator, bestselling author, international trainer, and frequent Edtech speaker, who teaches in Sonoma County where she was named Teacher of the Year in 2010. Catlin’s books Blended Learning in Grades 4-12 and Blended Learning in Action are both bestsellers. She has also written a book titled Creatively Teach the Common Core Literacy Standards with Technology to support teachers in thinking outside of the box as they shift to the Common Core. Catlin is working on her doctorate at Pepperdine University. She writes the “Techy Teacher” column for ASCD’s Educational Leadership. She is active on Twitter @Catlin_Tucker and writes an internationally ranked education blog at CatlinTucker.com.

Reviews

This book provides the fundamentals needed to transform your classroom from teacher centered to student centered. Catlin Tucker has thoroughly outlined the steps needed to create a blended learning environment with the necessary student–teacher partnership.
*Leander, TX*

After reading Balance With Blended Learning, I was hooked! This new focus in the series, on helping coach students to understand their own learning, is exactly what educators need right now as we move from the front of the classroom to sitting shoulder to shoulder with our students to make sense of learning goals and assessing them!
*Thousand Oaks, CA*

Catlin Tucker has created a resource to help teachers better assess their students’ work and more importantly, help students become more engaged in the process. Balance With Blended Learning: Partner With Your Students to Reimagine Learning and Reclaim Your Life will undoubtedly help secondary teachers promote more student-friendly grading experiences that aid them in demonstrating their own progress and growth. It will help any teacher make changes to their assessment practices that will benefit student learning.
*Starr Sackstein*

As teachers, we strive to foster and nurture lifelong learners—learners that sustain their purpose and passion for learning regardless of their path in
life. What Catlin shares with us in this book takes us one giant step forward toward that goal by focusing on grades and student ownership of their
learning progression. Using her personal and very transparent experiences as a teacher, she unlocks a pathway for us to truly partner with our learners and thus move them closer to lifelong learning by actively involving them in monitoring their own learning progress. As a parent, teacher, and teacher educator, the ideas in this book will change the way I "do business" inside and outside of my classroom.
*John Almarode*