The following is a list of some, but likely not all, dissertations and journal articles investigating standards-based grading using quantitative methods. The summaries were copied and pasted from within the published abstract unless noted otherwise. While there was an increase in all grading areas, two showed a significant difference—the Physical Science course content average (p
[Note to readers: This column was recently published in Iowa ASCD’s The Source e-newsletter. My co-authors were Dr. Tom Buckmiller and Dr. Robyn Cooper, both associate professors of education at Drake University] The Second Wave of Standards-Based Grading in Iowa’s Secondary Schools In 2013, the first Iowa standards-based grading conference was held in Cedar Rapids. At that
In the past, I curated and recommended lists of standards-based grading books and articles for practitioners and fellow researchers to read. A bulleted list of links to these lists is below. Top 10 standards-based grading books (pre-2016) Top 5 standards-based grading books (2016-2018) Top 10 standards-based grading articles (pre-2016) Top 10 standards-based grading articles (2016,
The purpose of standards-based grading/reporting is to communicate students’ current strengths and areas for improvement relative to course or grade-level standards. It may seem counter-productive to “go back” to using letter grades once a student’s level of learning has been described using an integer scale (i.e. 1-4) with corresponding descriptions of learning. Because some secondary schools may have a need to determine letter grades and grade point averages, the purpose of this post is to describe several ways to make this happen.
As secondary school leaders consider a shift toward standards-based grading (SBG) practices, they are no doubt weighing the odds of a successful implementation process. This research followed up on a study from 2014 to identify the challenges secondary school leaders experience when changing the currency of the classroom from points to learning. The results indicated
In standards-based grading, teachers have a mastery mindset. In other words, classroom structures and routines are setup to maximize student learning, regardless of when they learn it.
In standards-based grading, teachers communicate goals of learning rather than tasks. In other words, learning is communicated in relation to the course outcomes rather than the activities (homework, quiz, project, essay, etc.) demonstrating the learning outcomes.
[Note to readers: This column is part of an ongoing series for Iowa ASCD’s The Source e-newsletter.] Leaders of Performance: Planning with the End in Mind What does it mean to be a curriculum lead? This is the sixth column in a series for Iowa administrators, teacher leaders and anyone else interested in enhancing curriculum leadership. Over
Standards-based grading: lock-ins and lecture halls.
(a.k.a. why schools choose to adopt educational practices such as grading that are often different from colleges/universities)
The purpose of this article is to describe principles of standards-based grading, empirical support of SBG, and several common challenges secondary school leaders may face when considering this philosophical shift. Future research recommendations include exploring the perspectives of college students who graduate from high schools using SBG to understand the longer-term successes and shortcomings of the grading system.