Mandy Stalets

Mandy Stalets is an educator and assessment specialist focused on standards-based learning, grading practices, and formative assessment. She teaches mathematics at Illinois State University’s laboratory schools in Illinois and has previously taught high school and middle school mathematics. In 2010, she introduced standards-based learning and grading in her K–8 school through a one-year classroom trial that grew into a schoolwide initiative and ultimately led to the elimination of traditional letter grades. She works with teachers, undergraduate students, and school districts to refine assessment and grading practices, emphasizing clear communication of learning and practical implementation steps.

Stalets is coauthor of Standards-Based Learning in Action: Moving from Theory to Practice with Tom Schimmer and Garnet Hillman, a guide to implementing standards-based grading, instruction, and learning. She also coauthored Assessment as a Catalyst for Learning: Creating a Responsive and Fluid Process to Inspire All Students, which presents mindful, intentional assessment practices to drive learning. In addition, she coauthored Coaching Your Classroom: How to Deliver Actionable Feedback to Students, offering strategies for effective classroom feedback across grade levels and content areas.