Release Date:
Has your district adopted standards-based grading? If so, please let us know. You could be featured in future state-wide SBE outreach! Standards-based grading is used in mastery-based education. See the table below from .
| Traditional Grading System | Standards-Based Grading System |
|---|---|
| 1. Based on assessment methods (quizzes, tests, homework, projects, etc.). One grade/entry is given per assessment. | 1. Based on learning goals and performance standards. One grade/entry is given per learning goal. |
| 2. Assessments are based on a percentage system. Criteria for success may be unclear. | 2. Standards are criterion or proficiency-based. Criteria and targets are made available to students ahead of time. |
| 3. Use an uncertain mix of assessment, achievement, effort, and behavior to determine the final grade. May use late penalties and extra credit. | 3. Measures achievement only OR separates achievement from effort/behavior. No penalties or extra credit given. |
| 4. Everything goes in the grade book – regardless of purpose. | 4. Selected assessments (tests, quizzes, projects, etc.) are used for grading purposes. |
| 5. Include every score, regardless of when it was collected. Assessments record the average – not the best – work. | 5. Emphasize the most recent evidence of learning when grading. |
If your school has adopted standards-based grading and you’re interested in building on that effort, consider joining the Friends of the Mastery-based Learning (MBL) Collaborative. The MBL Collaborative (MBLC) is a new grant project supported by the State 91Ô´´ of Education. The MBLC provides schools with professional learning and a community to help them transition to MBL and transform education into a more relevant and equitable learning experience for each student.
While the grant opportunity has closed for this year, schools interested in MBL can .
Contact: Alissa Muller, Director of the Mastery-based Learning Collaborative