Top 4 Standards-Based Grading Articles (2022)

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As 2022 comes to a close, it time to sift through the list of published literature from the past twelve months. This year’s list is surprisingly short, but I will leave it up to readers to speculate why! Note to returning readers: Once again this year I chose not to include any articles that I authored or co-authored, and will instead highlight those separately in the near future.

The following is a list of what I believe are the top four articles from 2022 (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. Fergus, S., & Smith, C. P. (2022). Characteristics of proficiency-based learning and their impacts on math anxiety in the middle grades. Research in Middle Level Education Online, 45(4), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2022.2045810

    This study analyzed the relationship between specific characteristics of proficiency-based learning and middle school students’ anxiety about mathematics. The authors found that reassessment was the characteristic of proficiency-based learning most closely associated with alleviating students’ anxiety. They also found that math anxious students can benefit from effective feedback and clear learning objectives, particularly when presented simultaneously.
  2. Guskey, T. R. (2022). Can grades be an effective form of feedback? Phi Delta Kappan, 104(3), 97-108. [Available online]

    Although grades are often portrayed as detrimental to students’ motivation and interest in learning, closer analysis of the evidence indicates that when used appropriately, grades can be a meaningful and effective form of feedback. Thomas R. Guskey clarifies how studies on grades are frequently misinterpreted, explains how grades offer important but insufficient information on students’ learning progress, and describes conditions that must be met for grades to serve as a meaningful and effective form of feedback for students.
  3. Link, L.J.. & Guskey, T. R. (2022). Is standards-based grading effective? Theory into Practice. [Available online]

    Although many schools today are initiating SBG reforms, there’s little consensus on what “standards-based grading” actually means. As a result, Guskey and Link propose that SBG implementation is widely inconsistent due to an array of factors, including varying and uneven guidance provided by SBG proponents. The researchers conclude that there are three essential criteria necessary to define SBG.
  4. Morris, S. M., & Barton, A. L. (2022). Can offering more grade control improve middle school students’ motivation? The Clearinghouse: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2022.2051416

    In this mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study, the authors compared specifications grading (SG) with traditional grading methods among 69 low-income, 8th grade math students. Results indicate that students in SG classes have greater anticipation of success, greater interest, and trended toward a greater sense of self-efficacy than those in traditionally graded classes. Qualitative remarks from SG participants indicate a greater sense of control and decreased stress in math, as well as an emphasis on learning over performance. Although further research is needed, the results offer instructional implications regarding ways to offer students more control through grading systems.

What grading articles from 2022 would you add to this list?

Also, see my previous “top” articles lists:

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