Why Grades Keep Failing at Teaching Responsibility
Grades were never designed to teach responsibility, yet we keep asking them to do exactly that. Zeros, penalties, and points quietly distort achievement while failing to build real follow-through.
This webinar shows how to hold students accountable without compromising the accuracy of grades, and how to explain that shift clearly to students, families, and colleagues.
Save My Spot
Saturday, Jan. 24th, 2026
9:00 am PT | 12:00 pm ET
Live | 60 Minutes | Free
Grades are often expected to teach responsibility, yet zeros, penalties, and point systems routinely distort achievement and blur what students actually know and can do.
In this live, one-hour session, Tom Schimmer, a global grading expert who has worked in 27 countries and is the author of Redefining Student Accountability, will examine why responsibility becomes entangled with grades, and how that confusion undermines both accuracy and accountability.
Drawing on decades of assessment leadership in Canadian schools, Tom will show how responsibility can be taught explicitly and effectively without embedding behaviour into academic grades, preserving clarity, fairness, and defensibility in the process.
💡 In this free webinar, you’ll learn how to:
✔︎ Identify Grading Practices That Distort Accountability
Examine how zeros, penalties, and point accumulation blur the line between achievement and behaviour, and why that confusion backfires.
✔︎ Separate Academic Achievement from Behavioural Attributes
Learn how to honour responsibility, effort, and work habits without embedding them in grades, protecting accuracy while maintaining high expectations.
✔︎ Teach Responsibility Without Using Grades as Punishment
Explore practical, assessment-aligned approaches that build ownership, follow-through, and self-regulation without relying on consequences that don’t transfer.
✔︎ Communicate a Clear, Defensible Vision of Accountability
Gain language you can use with colleagues, students, and families to explain how responsibility is taught through clarity, feedback, and reinforcement, not penalties.
Teach responsibility without distorting grades.
Register to save your spot and receive the full webinar recording, even if you can’t attend live.
What people are saying...
"We really appreciate your humour, confidence, and how you present complex ideas in ways that are easy to grasp. Thank you! We’re hoping to do a series with you in the future!”
District Leader
British Columbia
"Tom worked to meet the specific needs of our district, which we really appreciate! Tom answered difficult questions with confidence and wisdom. His humour was also appreciated."
Secondary Teacher
British Columbia
  "Tom is an excellent presenter! His stories in relation to the content are engaging. We had many teachers say how wonderful of a speaker he is. This kind of compliment doesn’t come often!”
School Administrator
Ontario
"Fantastic with usable examples. One of the most useful Pro D opportunities I have attended.”
Teacher
British Columbia
"Tom is an intelligent, witty, and captivating speaker. His honesty and authenticity are refreshing. While he is an expert, he did not patronize.”
Teacher
Ontario
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