The STAGR Center

Where clarity meets action. We help schools redesign grading and assessment with purpose.

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Clarity in What We Teach Assessment and Grading Redesign Professional Development That Works Tools, Resources, and Real Talk

A classroom wall with clear I can statements and examples of student success

Help teachers get crystal clear on what they’re teaching—and how students show they’ve learned it.

We work with schools to prioritize standards, create student-friendly learning targets and success indicators that eliminate confusion, guide instruction, and help students take ownership of their learning. This clarity becomes the foundation for aligned assessment and meaningful feedback.

Educators in discussion around a table with grading policies or sample gradebooks

Redesign grading practices that actually reflect student learning—without sacrificing accountability

From late work and retakes to gradebooks and percentages, we help schools shift outdated systems into aligned, accurate, and meaningful practices that better communicate what students know and can do. We help you rethink what grades should measure—and how to build systems that support it.

A coach modeling or facilitating with a group of teachers or leaders-1

Practical professional learning—not just theory.

We don’t do sit-and-get. Our workshops, coaching, and long-term partnerships are grounded in your school’s reality and customized to help educators take real, doable steps toward grading reform and instructional clarity. Every session is interactive, tailored, and built to create lasting change.

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Educators holding printed sheets or using them in a team setting

Real talk. Real tools. Real change.

From the Fires in Grading Show to free downloads and implementation guides, we provide the resources—and the honest conversations—you need to do this work well and keep momentum going. Our tools are designed to be used, not just admired, and our conversations help schools address the real barriers to change.

OUR STORY

The STAGR Center was built around a simple but powerful belief: when teachers are clear on what they’re teaching and how they’re measuring it, students can thrive. But too often, our systems send mixed messages. Our grading doesn’t always reflect what students truly know. Our targets aren’t always clear. And that creates confusion—not just for students, but for teachers, families, and leaders too.

That’s where the STAGR Process comes in. We help schools define what success looks like, align assessments with purpose, and build grading practices that are fair, accurate, and focused on learning. It’s a six-step process that’s grounded in real classrooms, built by educators, and adaptable to your unique context.

The School District of Rhinelander’s partnership with First Education and the STAGR process has been a powerful and impactful component of our district-wide initiative to implement target-based grading. Working with Garth and Becky, our K-12 team gained the clarity needed to make assessment, learning, and collaboration purposeful and aligned. Our full K-12 implementation reflects a deep commitment to this process, which is not only ongoing through the STAGR framework but also a key driver of our overall school district improvement plan focused on equity, empowerment, and excellence for all.

Eric Burke, Superintendent
School District of Rhinelander, Wisconsin

The STAGR Center has had a significant and positive impact on our K-12 school's grading reform journey over the past few years. Whether we attended a professional development in person, virtually, or learned together as a whole school community, our faculty has gained valuable insight into practices that truly serve students well. The leaders at the STAGR Center do a great job of knowing how to support schools' needs and are grounded in the realities of today's classrooms. Their customized guidance is practical and helps make real change possible. I highly recommend the STAGR Center’s resources and PD to any school committed to meaningful improvement.

LuAnna Odom, Director of Academics
K-12Ontario Christian School, California

Working with the First Education STAGR Center has been a transformative experience for our high school. Led by Becky Peppler, STAGR Center Director, their support team is incredibly responsive and knowledgeable, always ready to guide us with clarity and encouragement as we move toward a target-based grading system. The wealth of resources they provide—ranging from data driven and supported practices and in-depth documentation to practical tools and templates—has made this shift not only manageable but genuinely inspiring.

What truly sets STAGR apart is their commitment to personalized training. They've taken the time to understand our school's unique needs and have tailored their guidance accordingly, ensuring every teacher and administrator feels confident and equipped. Thanks to their expert support, we’re making meaningful progress in aligning our academic practices with clear, student-centered outcomes.

We’re grateful for their partnership and excited about the direction we're headed.

Doug Olig, Principal
New Holstein High School, Wisconsin

Working with Becky and Don has been an incredible ongoing experience that reaffirms the important CBE work we've done to support students learning—and accelerated our progress toward meaningful implementation. From their personalized and in-depth analysis of where we were all the way to their workshops, their approach has felt like a true partnership. Many of our staff have personally told me this is the best professional development they've ever experienced and they want more and more.

Charles Langille Jr., Principal
Kearsarge Regional High School, New Hampshire

Partnering with FIRST Education STAGR Center at every grade level in our district has been a truly rewarding experience for leaders, teachers, and students. Their knowledgeable and personable team brings a systematic, responsive approach that has led to increased clarity and achievement for both teachers and learners across our schools.

Lori Verhagen, Director of Teaching & Learning
New Holstein School District, Wisconsin

MIHS continues to strive for educational justice and to eradicate inequities inside of the public school system. Using STAGR as a means to develop a needs analysis for our school was a critical step in developing better inclusionary practices and to expose inconsistent practice in our school. Becky worked with our staff, community, and students to help collate their feedback in a consumable manner to help our team move forward with building wide initiatives that put learning first. We hope to work with Becky and STAGR in the future.

Nick Wold, Principal
Mercer Island High School, Washington

Our experience with FIRST Educational Resources, and in particular Don Smith, has been outstanding. Don recently led a leadership conference for the Diocese of Erie's school administrators focused on implementing the STAGR Model for standards-based learning and grading. His approach was authentic, insightful, and—most importantly—practical.

Don was the first trainer who truly showed our administrators how to do this important curriculum work, breaking down complex concepts into manageable, actionable steps. His deep knowledge and genuine passion for educational leadership quickly earned the trust of our team. He engaged our administrators in meaningful learning and created a space where they felt supported and empowered.

The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, and there is a strong desire to continue this partnership. We are excited to work with FIRST Educational Resources and Don Smith in the coming year through mentoring and coaching as we move forward in our implementation of the STAGR Model.

Catholic Schools In the Diocese of Erie

Becky and Garth were engaging, fun, and remarkably adaptable, connecting with teachers from over 40 districts. Our educators left feeling supported, inspired, and equipped with practical strategies to implement standards-based classrooms in a realistic and meaningful way.

Jenny Combs
Alliance for Curriculum Enhancement, Montana

Testimonial a participant shared with his Principal after a 2-Day Workshop

Just wanted to reiterate that I found this training valuable. While some of the ideas presented—such as breaking down the standards—were topics we have covered in other trainings, the segment on prioritizing standards introduced a practical system for ranking them based on their value. Additionally, this approach allowed me to delve deeper into what student mastery looks like and to better assess the cognitive load for my students. As I enter my 15th year in the profession, I can confidently say that, aside from the collaborative planning and standards alignment work I did with my previous distrct, this was one of the most valuable trainings I’ve attended.

Culinary Teacher
Putnam County Schools, Florida

Standards-based grading felt like a big leap, but STAGR has made it feel doable. Becky Peplar’s support is thoughtful, steady, and exactly what we needed.

Becky doesn’t just train—she guides with wisdom and practicality. STAGR has made a complex process feel manageable and meaningful for our entire staff.

Our teachers immediately respected Becky’s depth of knowledge. Her coaching has helped us move forward with confidence. STAGR is a true partner in change.

STAGR has helped shift our mindset about grading. We’re now thinking more clearly about how to align our assessments with what matters most for student learning.

Staci Bottomly, Lower School Academic Dean
Redlands Christian, California

Becky and her team are great to work with! They provided our teachers with a foundational understanding behind the 'why' for grading reform, practical steps in moving our grading practices forward, and ongoing support for questions as various challenges arose. We truly appreciate their partnership!

Amanda Thompson, Director of Teaching and Learning
Edgerton School District, Wisconsin

The STAGR Center was a crucial resource in our transition to Target Based Grading and Assessment at WSMS. Professional development was catered to staff needs and schedules. A focus on CLARITY and CONSISTENCY lead to transparency for stakeholders and a more accurate system to measure learning for our students. A great partner in our journey of continuous improvement!

Ben Wopat, Principal
West Salem Middle School, Wisconsin

Our experiences with Garth and Becky from the STAGR Center have been among the best I have encountered in my career. From our very first interaction two year ago, we continue to make steady, predictable and significant progress going into our third year together. The support is personal. Garth and Becky are more like colleagues than consultants. We remain in close communication prior to and between key touchpoints. I always feel like a priority. Each experience has been professional, thoughtfully designed and executed with a real, authentic and personal touch. I am excited to continue our work together and could not recommend them more strongly.

Derek DeMass, Director of Instruction
Wayne Central School District, New York

As principal of Stewartville High School, I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the transformative impact the STAGR Center has had on our staff and, ultimately, our students. Throughout our collaboration, their team has been incredibly helpful in guiding our teachers through the complex but vital work of aligning curriculum to standards, developing authentic assessments, and ensuring accuracy and clarity in our reporting practices. STAGR has helped strengthen our professional capacity, our instructional practices, and our collective confidence in delivering learning that matters.

Katie Morlock, High School Principal
Stewartville High School, Minnesota