Equitable Grading Practices
Traditional grading practices typically assign a letter grade (A through F) based on an underlying 100-point scale. These practices, developed in the 1800-1900's (more on this history), are based on the normal, bell-shaped curve where most students earn "C" level grades in the middle of the distribution and fewer students earn very high or very low grades. More recently, concerns have been raised about the equity of this grading system and its motivational value to students. Alternatives strategies such as Specifications Grading and/or Competency Based Grading reduce opportunities for unintentional biases and create a more motivational environment for students.
More on How to Make Grading More Equitable
Examples of Motivational Grading Practices
- strategic use of low-stakes vs. high-stakes assessments
- strategic use of formative vs. summative assessments
- use authentic assessments
- scaffold assignments
- provide opportunities to revise
- mitigate impact of zeros on final grade
- allow opportunities to drop low grade(s)
- grade actual work, not extra credit.
Specifications Grading
Specifications grading is a system in which grades are based on completing a set "bundle" of work. The work required for each bundle is listed on the syllabus so students know at the beginning of the semester what work needs to be completed for each grade. The instructor grades each item of work on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. The advantage of this is that instructors can focus their time on providing meaningful feedback rather than on deciding how many points to deduct for inadequate work. Opportunities are provided to revise unsatisfactory work and/or to show their improvement on a subsequent assignment.
What is Specification Grading? | Center for Transformative Teaching
Competency Based Grading
In traditional grading practices, students are taught at the same pace and complete assessments at the same point in time. Competency based grading allows students to progress at their own pace. Students take as much time as needed to learn, review, and practice until they have demonstrated mastery of the knowledge and/or skills before moving on to new ones. Rather than being based on a 0-100 scale system, competency based grading is typically based on an ordinal-level scale (e.g., Beginning, Developing, Competent, Proficient). To demonstrate mastery, competency based education asks students to show their understanding of skill through authentic assessments. Authentic assessments typically involve a “real world” context that requires higher-order thinking skills and allows for more creativity and critical thinking than does a more rote or fact-based assessment. Advantages of competency based grading include: Students continue to practice the skill until they demonstrate mastery over it; Students direct their efforts at their current level of skill which prevents having students struggle to keep up with other students if they need more time, or having advanced students feel held back by others who need more time; Feedback on performance is given through lower-stakes formative assessments, rather than rely on only a few high-stakes assessments which student may be more likely to fail; and Students have more autonomy over their learning, which encourages the development of greater independence, resilience, agency, and perseverance with their learning.