Top 3 standards-based grading articles (2023)

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Following the tradition of previous years here on the blog, it is time to sift through the list of published literature from the 2023 and highlight the top articles of the year.

The following is a list of what I believe are the top three articles from 2023 (in alphabetical order by lead author’s last name) related to standards-based grading. Following each citation is the article abstract or my summary of the abstract.

  1. Ketsman, O, & Reeves, T. (2023). Standards-based grading in a small, suburban district:               Teacher education, confidence, and implementation. Journal of School Administration Research & Development, 8(2), 65-75. https://www.ojed.org/index.php/JSARD/article/view/5565

    This examined K–12 teachers’ implementation of SBG practices in a small, suburban Midwestern school district, as well as their perceptions of and confidence in implementing SBG. The findings include teachers’ prior opportunities to learn about SBG practices formally and informally were variable. Participation in both pre-service and in-service opportunities to learn about SBG were moreover related to SBG implementation, and these relationships were partially or fully mediated by teachers’ confidence in implementing SBG practices.
  2. Larsen, A. (2023). Investigating the potential benefits of standards-based grading practices at urban secondary schools in Southern Utah: A qualitative study. Journal of Nonprofit Innovation, 3. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1076&context=joni 

    The participants in this qualitative research study included ten teachers, four parents, and two secondary school principals who have experienced both the letter and standards-based grading methods in recent year. Results from this study highlight the difficulty in transitioning to standards-based grading methods because letter grading is a familiar system rooted in tradition.
  3. Williams, M. J. (2023). Teacher perceptions of differentiated instruction in a standards-based grading middle school. Educational Research: Theory and Practice, 34(1), 129-150. https://www.nrmera.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/V34-1_9-Williams-Teacher-Perceptions-of-Differentiated-Instruction.pdf

    This qualitative study was designed to better understand teacher perceptions of differentiated instruction in a standards-based grading middle school. Teachers’ perceptions of differentiated instruction and SBG were mixed due to a multitude of reasons such as accurate implementations, perspectives of the educational system, student motivations, assessments, and student needs.

What grading articles from 2023 would you add to this list?

Also, see my previous “top” articles lists:

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