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My current action moving forward is to get rid of the + and - of my grading. I like how Rick said there where to many levels either you (the student) is in the level or not. There should not be 'you're almost here ___'.

From: Krystal H.

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My current practice of grading is not standard-base grading. I am currently using the 100 point scale and use zeros for missing work or even point deduction for late. However, after this weeks readings and videos I see the importance and need to shift my approach. I think the hybrid approach would be best suited for the age group of students and curriculum.

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Here is a link I found that talks about the 4 point scale instead of the 100 point scale.

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The Basics of SBG

Traditionally teachers focus on teaching, the attempt to deliver knowledge. In SBG they also measure student learning, to understand the effectiveness of instruction. Instead of a single overall grade, SBG breaks down the subject matter into smaller "learning targets." Each target is a teachable concept that students should master by the end of the course. Throughout the term, student learning on each target is recorded. Teachers track student progress, give appropriate feedback, and adapt instruction to meet student needs. Figure 1 shows example report cards that highlight the differences between traditional and SBG.

Traditional grading and SBG also use different grading scales. In traditional grading, students are primarily measured by the percentage of work successfully completed. The assumption is that higher completion rates reflect greater mastery, and earn higher grades. Often 90% achieves an A, 80% a B, etc.

In SBG, grading is based on demonstration of mastery. Students attempt standards-aligned activities (projects, worksheets, quizzes, essays, presentations, etc.). Teachers assess the student output and choose the appropriate mastery level that was demonstrated.

Typical scales are 1-4 and reflect students' increasing skill. 1's indicate that students have little understanding of a concept, and consequently cannot demonstrate any mastery. When starting a new target, many students have no prior knowledge, and begin at 1. As students learn, they can demonstrate partial mastery, and score 2. Once they meet a target, they score 3. Typically 4's are used for students who exceed targets. Figure 2 shows example traditional and SBG grading scales.

Note: Even though 1-4 is popular, SBG grading scales vary widely. Scales can be 1-5, 0-4, use half points, and use letters instead of numbers. Yours may be different.

In standards-based education, teaching is responsive to learning. When starting a new target, teachers present introductory lessons. As students progress, they are offered more complex material. They continue working and learning until they reach the target. Think of SBG as a ladder, where students climb up, "a rung at a time," eventually reaching the top.

After receiving instruction, some students progress immediately, but most do not. It's common for students to be confused, and only partially complete an activity. Teachers regularly provide feedback, reteach, and offer additional opportunities to reach "the next rung." This process requires patience and practice, and is repeated until students reach the target.

SBG is powerful because it provides a framework to regularly measure student progress. When teachers have continuous understanding of students' mastery, they can adapt instruction to better meet students' needs. This causes education to be more effective and engaging.

How Does SBG Improve Education

Now that we've described the mechanics of SBG, let's look at the advantages standards-based education brings to the classroom. Many instructional changes improve student engagement and learning.

Improved Feedback

In SBG environments, better feedback accelerates learning. Instead of simply giving scores like 9/10 or 85%, teachers give feedback about the task performed and skills used. This helps students understand their current areas of improvement, and helps them reach the next level. This positive environment speeds learning and students reach higher levels of achievement -- all while being deeply engaged and enjoying school.

Student Ownership of Education

Learning targets are typically written in student-friendly language, so they can understand the goals of instruction. Targets may be further broken down by rubrics to map out the steps required to reach the "top of the ladder." This allows students to understand the path to success, and enables them to better engage in their learning. When working on an activity, they can self-assess and reflect on their own performance. They can identify areas of improvement and self-direct their activities. This leads to greater ownership of their learning. A typical rubric is shown in Figure 6.

More Relevant Instruction

In traditional classrooms, many teachers mechanically present curriculum to students -- lesson 1 on day 1, lesson 2 on day 2, etc. While there are exceptions (e.g. - early elementary reading), often there is little adjustment to instruction due to learning. Because students learn at different rates, some are bored because the pace is too slow. Others are confused because instruction is too fast. This is a daily challenge in traditional classrooms.

In SBG classrooms, teachers better understand student mastery. At any time, they know which students are at level 1, 2, or 3. This helps teachers offer level-appropriate work. Students at level 1 get activities that help them reach level 2. Level 2 students get activities to climb to level 3. Classrooms often break into smaller groups with students working independently on level-appropriate activities. This is called "differentiated instruction," or DI for short.

In this environment, students are less frustrated by poorly-fitting instruction. School is a more positive experience when course material is relevant and interesting. By improving the use of instructional time, students learn more and make increased academic progress.

Learning Provides Intrinsic Motivation

Some students may be extrinsically motivated by metrics, and strive to improve in measured areas. In traditional classrooms, this often encourages students to "chase points." Many will perform tasks that award points and raise their averages (e.g. - extra credit).

Conversely, it's common to hear students ask, "Will this be graded?" They often will skip any activity not entered into the gradebook, regardless of merit. This creates unhealthy incentives which skew student behavior and attitudes.

In SBG, the focus is on learning and mastery. Striving for mastery is an intrinsic motivator and transforms student attitudes. They learn for their own enjoyment and sustain high levels of effort and achievement.

Emotional Safety and Fear of Testing

At the beginning of each marking period, students start with 100%. Their averages fall as they make mistakes. Students with the fewest mistakes earn the highest grades. Depending on the size of the mistake (e.g. - a zero), it may be impossible to recover and earn a "good grade." This high-stakes environment can create test-taking fear and cause anxiety, which interferes with learning.

In SBG, scores go up as students learn. Final grades are reflective of mastery at the end of the course, so there's little penalty for early mistakes. No event can "ruin" their grade. This creates an emotionally safe environment where students are encouraged to stretch themselves, make mistakes, and learn.

While SBG removes the problem of zeros, it's also common for organizations to allow redo's. When a student gets a poor score, they can often work more on the topic, increasing their learning, and reassess. The ability to reach mastery is celebrated versus the focus on the number of mistakes made along the way.

Accurate Measurement of Learning

One pitfall of traditional grading is inaccuracy. Student averages are highly dependent on the difficulty of work assigned. If teachers present only low complexity activities, students can earn high scores with only a weak command of the material.

The opposite is also true. Highly demanding instructors may present very difficult work, resulting in overly low student scores. Curving and extra credit are used to adjust averages into more appropriate distributions.

In both cases SBG can improve the situation by providing clearer criteria for measuring mastery. Mastery of low complexity work yields lower grades while mastery of higher complexity work provides higher grades. Connecting grades to complexity rather than percentage completion yields more accurate and consistent grades.

How TeacherEase Helps SBG

This document was written by the team that produces TeacherEase, software for standards-based learning. We believe that successful SBG requires good technology, so we built TeacherEase to meet this need. It includes all the tools necessary: committee collaboration, learning targets, rubrics, assessments, instructional content management, data analytics, gradebook, report cards, and parent portal. For more information, check out: TeacherEase: Software for Standards-based Learning.

Additional SBG Videos

For more information, we recommend the SBG-related videos below.

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This page is an introduction for parents and educators new to standards-based grading. It discusses benefits of SBG and positive impacts on the classroom.

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My grading practices do have the standards-based scale on the rubric and in the back of my mind as I'm grading and teaching. Do they get it? What will I do for the ones who don't understand yet? But the district did not embrace standards-based grading so all of that is on hold. The rubrics my ELA team create do have a 4 point scale along with ABCD. F means no evidence.

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Moving forward, I will use the language of standards-based more often, especially in class or when commenting on student work.

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This article shows rubrics, which really help when grading standards-based, for many subjects. There are freebies too!

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When it comes to student assessment and evaluation, there are a lot of methods to consider. In some cases, testing is the best way to assess a student's knowledge, and the answers are either right or wrong. But often, assessing a student's performance is much less clear-cut. In these situations, a scoring rubric is often the way to go, especially if you're using standards-based grading. Here's what you need to know about this useful tool, along with lots of rubric examples to get you started.

What is a scoring rubric?

In the United States, a rubric is a guide that lays out the performance expectations for an assignment. It helps students understand what's required of them, and guides teachers through the evaluation process. (Note that in other countries, the term "rubric" may instead refer to the set of instructions at the beginning of an exam. To avoid confusion, some people use the term "scoring rubric" instead.)

A rubric generally has three parts:

Performance criteria: These are the various aspects on which the assignment will be evaluated. They should align with the desired learning outcomes for the assignment.

Rating scale: This could be a number system (often 1 to 4) or words like "exceeds expectations, meets expectations, below expectations," etc.

Indicators: These describe the qualities needed to earn a specific rating for each of the performance criteria. The level of detail may vary depending on the assignment and the purpose of the rubric itself.

Rubrics take more time to develop up front, but they help ensure more consistent assessment, especially when the skills being assessed are more subjective. A well-developed rubric can actually save teachers a lot of time when it comes to grading. What's more, sharing your scoring rubric with students in advance often helps improve performance. This way, students have a clear picture of what's expected of them and what they need to do to achieve a specific grade or performance rating.
Learn more about why and how to use a rubric here.
Types of Rubric

There are three basic rubric categories, each with its own purpose.

Holistic Rubric

Source: Cambrian College

This type of rubric combines all the scoring criteria in a single scale. They're quick to create and use, but they have drawbacks. If a student's work spans different levels, it can be difficult to decide which score to assign. They also make it harder to provide feedback on specific aspects.

Traditional letter grades are a type of holistic rubric. So are the popular "hamburger rubric" and " cupcake rubric" examples. Learn more about holistic rubrics here.

Analytic Rubric

Source: University of Nebraska

Analytic rubrics are much more complex and generally take a great deal more time up front to design. They include specific details of the expected learning outcomes, and descriptions of what criteria are required to meet various performance ratings in each. Each rating is assigned a point value, and the total number of points earned determines the overall grade for the assignment.

Though they're more time-intensive to create, analytic rubrics actually save time while grading. Teachers can simply circle or highlight any relevant phrases in each rating, and add a comment or two if needed. They also help ensure consistency in grading, and make it much easier for students to understand what's expected of them.
Learn more about analytic rubrics here.
Developmental Rubric

Source: Deb's Data Digest

A developmental rubric is a type of analytic rubric, but it's used to assess progress along the way rather than determining a final score on an assignment. The details in these rubrics help students understand their achievements, as well as highlight the specific skills they still need to improve.

Developmental rubrics are essentially a subset of analytic rubrics. They leave off the point values, though, and focus instead on giving feedback using the criteria and indicators of performance.
Learn how to use developmental rubrics here.
Ready to create your own rubrics? Find general tips on designing rubrics here. Then, check out these examples across all grades and subjects to inspire you.

Elementary School Rubric Examples

These elementary school rubric examples come from real teachers who use them with their students. Adapt them to fit your needs and grade level.

Reading Fluency Rubric

You can use this one as an analytic rubric by counting up points to earn a final score, or just to provide developmental feedback. There's a second rubric page available specifically to assess prosody (reading with expression).

Learn more: Teacher Thrive

Reading Comprehension Rubric

The nice thing about this rubric is that you can use it at any grade level, for any text. If you like this style, you can get a reading fluency rubric here too.

Learn more: Pawprints Resource Center

Written Response Rubric

Rubrics aren't just for huge projects. They can also help kids work on very specific skills, like this one for improving written responses on assessments.

Learn more: Dianna Radcliffe: Teaching Upper Elementary and More

Interactive Notebook Rubric

If you use interactive notebooks as a learning tool, this rubric can help kids stay on track and meet your expectations.

Learn more: Classroom Nook

Project Rubric

Use this simple rubric as it is, or tweak it to include more specific indicators for the project you have in mind.

Learn more: Tales of a Title One Teacher

Behavior Rubric

Developmental rubrics are perfect for assessing behavior and helping students identify opportunities for improvement. Send these home regularly to keep parents in the loop.

Learn more: Teachers.net Gazette

Middle School Rubric Examples

In middle school, use rubrics to offer detailed feedback on projects, presentations, and more. Be sure to share them with students in advance, and encourage them to use them as they work so they'll know if they're meeting expectations.

Argumentative Writing Rubric

Argumentative writing is a part of language arts, social studies, science, and more. That makes this rubric especially useful.

Learn more: Dr. Caitlyn Tucker

Role-Play Rubric

Role-plays can be really useful when teaching social and critical thinking skills, but it's hard to assess them. Try a rubric like this one to evaluate and provide useful feedback.

Learn more: A Question of Influence

Art Project Rubric

Art is one of those subjects where grading can feel very subjective. Bring some objectivity to the process with a rubric like this.

Source: Art Ed Guru

Diorama Project Rubric

You can use diorama projects in almost any subject, and they're a great chance to encourage creativity. Simplify the grading process and help kids know how to make their projects shine with this scoring rubric.

Learn more: Historyourstory.com

Oral Presentation Rubric

Rubrics are terrific for grading presentations, since you can include a variety of skills and other criteria. Consider letting students use a rubric like this to offer peer feedback too.

Learn more: Bright Hub Education

High School Rubric Examples

In high school, it's important to include your grading rubrics when you give assignments like presentations, research projects, or essays. Kids who go on to college will definitely encounter rubrics, so helping them become familiar with them now will help in the future.

Presentation Rubric

Analyze a student's presentation both for content and communication skills with a rubric like this one. If needed, create a separate one for content knowledge with even more criteria and indicators.

Learn more: Michael A. Pena Jr.

Debate Rubric

Debate is a valuable learning tool that encourages critical thinking and oral communication skills. This rubric can help you assess those skills objectively.

Learn more: Education World

Project-Based Learning Rubric

Implementing project-based learning can be time-intensive, but the payoffs are worth it. Try this rubric to make student expectations clear and end-of-project assessment easier.

Learn more: Free Technology for Teachers

100-Point Essay Rubric

Need an easy way to convert a scoring rubric to a letter grade? This example for essay writing earns students a final score out of 100 points.

Learn more: Learn for Your Life

Drama Performance Rubric

If you're unsure how to grade a student's participation and performance in drama class, consider this example. It offers lots of objective criteria and indicators to evaluate.

Learn more: Chase March

How do you use rubrics in your classroom? Come share your thoughts and exchange ideas in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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15 Helpful Scoring Rubric Examples for All Grades and Subjects

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Scoring rubrics help establish expectations and ensure assessment consistency. Use these rubric examples to help you design your own.

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Currently I am in the midst of developing a standards-based mindset. I have come to a hybrid model between traditional and SBG. Each of the grades in the book are directly linked to a standard. They are scored with a rating scale or rubric. Students are given multiple opportunities to assess. I have been working on this for the last year and a half. Each semester I am tweaking and fixing, making improvements.

Next year my plan is to focus on one standard a week. Then in between units, provide a reassessment week. My district has adopted a policy of not accepting late work after the tutoring Friday has passed. So my reassessment week works within the policy that the school has asked me to have. Also by having one standard focusing on a week then I have grades updated weekly which is another thing I have been asked to do.

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As a resource room teacher I don't provide grades for my students. I have observed how my colleagues grade using a standards based mindset. Our teachers all use a scale of 1-4. On the report card it comes out as Standard Exceed, Standard Met, Standard Developing, and Standard Not Met. I think having it translate into clear words is helpful for parents when interpreting the grades.

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As someone who does not provide grades for my students this is challenging. I have reflected on how I can help parents better understand the relation between their child's report card and their progress report. I would like to further expand on my first artifact to make more of a connection to progress reports.

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I am advocating for myself and going to my district to get PD money to go to a conference/training in St. Louis this summer. The opportunity was brought to me by our SPED director. She has been encouraging me through my process, especially as I have been doing it on my own. She got the book Humanized Education, which focuses on Mastery-Based Education. Between this class, the contacts I made at the IETA Conference back in February, this class, and the chance to go to St. Louis, I am doing everything I possibly can to become a master of standards-based grading.

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Here is the link to a school district website that has all the rating scales for ELA, Math, and Science standards broken down and made into student-appropriate versions.

Documents | Sweetwater County School District #2

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For the most part, I find myself aligned with the principles of standards-based grading. However, I must acknowledge that I still wrestle with certain aspects of the paradigm, not due to a lack of evidence or merit, but because of the deeply ingrained beliefs and practices shaped by my own educational experiences. The traditional grading system is so embedded in my academic upbringing that fully detaching from its influence requires intentional reflection and unlearning. This cognitive dissonance underscores the broader challenge of educational reform: meaningful change demands not only new systems, but also a fundamental shift in mindset, both individually and institutionally.

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One concrete step I am currently taking to advance toward a standards-based approach is the intentional deconstruction of each standard into clear, measurable success criteria. By articulating the discrete components of a standard, I aim to create transparent learning targets that guide both instruction and assessment. This practice not only clarifies expectations for students but also supports more precise feedback, allowing learners to understand where they are in relation to the standard and what specific steps they can take to progress toward proficiency.

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My current grading practices have nothing to do with standard-based grading. I feel like a lot of parents push back against that and I am uneducated (at least right now) in the type of grading that standards-based grading requires. Hopefully, after this course, I will have a better idea of what it means and I will be able to better accommodate my students.

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I am really leaning into this class. I feel like I have a lot to learn and creating artifacts with peer help is giving me different perspectives on what standard-based grading means to different educators.

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I don't grade, but I'm working toward using a standards-based mindset when revising policies and procedures in the student services division.

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I rewrote our institutional Academic Standing procedure with a standards-based mindset. I'm presenting the changes to the rest of the leadership team next week. The changes will help students better understand expectations, inform them about resources if they are struggling, and be less threatening. I will continue evaluating and revising the policies and procedures with a standards-based mindset.

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I got this from a friend who is an 8th-grade special ed math teacher who implemented standards-based grading about 5 years ago.

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"If Sammy had to take the test a second time, he must not have studied. He does not deserve full credit on a second attempt."

"In the real world, there are no second chances."

"Students won't do the homework if we don't grade it."

These are phrases we have likely heard-or said-when discussing student grades. Such beliefs about grades as compensation have been the unquestioned norm for students, parents, and educators for well over a century. In more recent years, educators have begun emphasizing learning over earning when grading student work. This was Megan's experience throughout her time as a secondary special education and English/language arts teacher. In her fledgling years, she viewed grades as compensation for hard work and high achievement. However, she eventually transitioned to a standards-based grading system that better communicated student learning. Standards-based grade books encompass three big shifts.

In standards-based grading, teachers communicate learning in relation to the course outcomes rather than by activity (homework, quiz, project, essay, etc.). For many years, the default means of communication has been points in the form of "14 out of 16 on Quiz 4.5." However, this does not tell students nor parents what they have learned or need to improve upon. With standards-based grading, teachers organize gradebook entries by learning outcomes (often called "standards"), rather than tasks.

While teaching 8th grade English, Megan's professional learning community originally graded from a points-based mindset. Student summaries were graded as follows:

3 points (1 each) - Topic sentence includes text type, title, and author

2 points - Topic sentence includes accurate central idea

Within this system, the team realized that some students' verbose and mediocre summaries earned nine points (100 percent), while others' eloquent and concise summaries earned five points (55 percent) because they failed to conform to the prescribed format. The points-based system did not provide accurate feedback to determine a student's level of understanding and plan appropriate next steps.

The team's 'aha' moment led the teachers to stop asking, "How many points should this task be worth?" and start asking, "What does proficiency look like for this skill?" The team considered a student summary proficient if it was "objective, well-written, and included the most important details from the text," rather than adhering to a checklist of arbitrary requirements. This change made communication much clearer between PLC members, students, and parents, as well as teachers in other classrooms, because the focus shifted from points to learning.

In standards-based grading, teachers have a mastery mindset. Classroom structures and routines such as scoring assessments are set up to maximize student learning, regardless of when they learn it. Classroom teachers think about learning as dynamic (written in pencil) rather than static (written in ink) within a reporting period. When students demonstrate a higher level of understanding using an alternative form assessment, teachers revise marks in the grade book accordingly (regardless of students' perceived 'motives' for reassessing).

If a student demonstrates a weak understanding of citing textual evidence on a research paper, her alternative assessment may involve rewriting several paragraphs rather than reworking the entire essay. A student in physical education class may digitally record himself demonstrating a locomotor skill at home rather than doing it in person again for the teacher.

One of us (Matt) used to teach high school math with the mindset of "no second chances" and only occasionally provided extra credit to students who requested it. After considering how well the gradebook accurately communicated student learning, Matt allowed students to complete an alternate assessment after completing a relearning plan. A student's plan might include finishing any previously missed homework assignments and practicing another set of problems specifically prescribed to help her. Matt then erased previous levels of learning and updated according to students' progress.

In standards-based grading, teachers repurpose homework and checks for understanding as ungraded practice. Students should have opportunities to make and learn from mistakes, and teachers should use this assessment information to drive instruction. Specifically, students turning in practice-oriented homework assignments should receive narrative feedback rather than points, with teachers diagnosing mistakes and prescribing next steps.

As classroom teachers, both of us initially assigned points for every assignment (regardless of its purpose). After shifting to standards-based practices, homework and checks for understanding received feedback instead of points, and students began to self-regulate their learning.

In the example below, Matt's students indicated their perceived level of understanding (in pencil) for each standard assessed immediately following the completion of a mid-unit math quiz. Question numbers aligned with each standard, and Matt provided feedback to the learner (in red) the next day.

Rather than penalizing students who practice poorly, standards-based grading uses homework and checks for understanding (such as quizzes) to inform the student and teacher how to address learning gaps. Students' excitement levels increased when quizzes were handed back, because they knew they would be provided with feedback "as if the test was today" to make improvements before the summative learning demonstration.

As school leaders reimagine education in the midst of a pandemic, now is perhaps the most opportune time for teachers to shift their grading practices. Remote and hybrid learning options have already led some schools to provide pass/fail grades instead of letter grades and percentages. With students learning independently, with caregivers, or with tutors, it is increasingly important for teachers to communicate students' strengths and weaknesses on specific skills; posting vague assignment scores leave distance learners at a loss for how to improve and teachers wondering which learning gaps they need to fill when students return face-to-face.

In remote and hybrid environments, there are myriad reasons to provide second chances on assessments and to give feedback instead of a grade for practice work, since students vary in their learning styles, self-regulation abilities, adult support, access to the Internet and other resources, and expectations for at-home responsibilities. Regardless of how the rest of the year unfolds, these three shifts for standards-based grades are valuable.

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Try an emphasis on learning over earning when grading student work.

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While my assignments align to standards, my grading practices don’t fully reflect a standards-based mindset. True standards-based grading requires grades to be tied directly to clear learning targets and supported by evidence of mastery—not just points for participation or completion.

Craig Messerman’s video explains how students often focus on “the game of school”—chasing points and avoiding zeros—rather than mastering learning goals. His use of a four-point scale that minimizes zeros and allows students to improve grades anytime promotes flexible, mastery-focused assessment. Rick Wormeli reinforces this by showing that traditional grading scales are “nonsense symbols” without clear evidence descriptors. My current reliance on point systems doesn’t clearly communicate proficiency levels, limiting grade clarity.

I avoid punitive zeros by marking late work as Incomplete, but I know I don't have accountability routines which causes students to panic when incompletes are removed a month before the semester ends. Schimmer writes that “redefining accountability requires a more sophisticated approach than simply deciding what to do when a student doesn't follow through.” Effective grading systems must thoughtfully address why students struggle and how grading affects motivation. Without structured behavioral supports and clear communication, my current practices fall short of meaningful accountability and accurate mastery reflection. Essentially, my grading needs to better focus on evidence of mastery without fluff and include supportive accountability routines to truly reflect learning and encourage progress.

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I plan to revise my grading routines by eliminating participation (turned it in) grades and enhancing accountability through more frequent checkpoints and a refined reward system. Rather than awarding points for timely submission of work, I will use the existing sticker/reward system I have in place—which already effectively reinforces positive behaviors—to reward students for meeting deadlines. I also will incorporate additional checkpoints throughout the semester before student support days. Although we offer student support days on weekends for makeup work, these are not consistently attended. Establishing regular in-class checkpoints before Friday schools will help provide timely feedback and interventions, ensuring that students receive the support they need before the end of each semester.

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Yes, in our district, we are highly encouraged to use the 4-point scale. I moved to the 4-point scale exclusively last year. It has been amazing for clarity and transparency. Students and parents argue grades far less frequently as the students understand what each point on the scale is saying about their knowledge/ performance.

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As a SpEd resource teacher, this is a hard one to address, as our classes are pass/fail, and we have both no standards and ALL of the standards. An action I am planning on taking to move towards a more standards-based approach would be to track the students' IEP goals as they align with standards within their individual classes. This will allow me to track progress towards goals based on in-class performance as well as to assist the GE teachers with meeting standards.

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This book. A previous district PLC/book study-- a game changer. Feldman walks you through the entire argument and decision-making process with case examples and real data. Highly recommend if you have a staff member or colleague who is holding on to 'the old ways'.

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Are they currently reflective of a standard-based mindset? I would say I have part of the culture of the mindset but not the actual practice. I focus on what I believe the student has learned and give opportunities for redoing assignments if the haven't achieved proficiency. We still employ the traditional 100 pt. grading scale for 6-12, and do a O, S+, S, N (Outstanding, satisfactory, needs improvement) scale for K-5 which could be a lot better. I don't take points off for late work, though. That being said, I have taken zeroes off cheating, so in a sense it's better not to turn it in than to cheat on it! Work in progress

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We are going to pilot a Standards-Based Grading system, myself and our other k-3 grade teacher, next year. We are going to work over the summer to establish the standards and what we need for rubrics to be successful. I think we're going to do a hybrid trial at first, to familiarize and bring parents on board with standards-based, and so that we know what works or doesn't when we present the idea to the higher grades in following years.

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My current grading practices are not reflective at all of a standards-based mindset. We can talk about everything, which is almost always graded, using the A-F system, and giving 0s for work not completed on time. Not that I am not working on moving away from these, it is just trying to figure out how to make it all work and not just completely shock parents and even my district.

Brittany

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My current action that I am planning on taking as I move forward towards having a more standards-based approach on grading is 1) get rid of my 0 policy and policy on not accepting late work. 2) Explain to both students and parents that not everything is going to get a grade. That some homework/classwork that is formative is going to be for feedback, so I can see where students currently are and be able to help them move to proficiency. I would like to get students away from the game of school and to truly want to dive into the material and learn it.

Brittany

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We use success criteria and learning targets but do not assess on a 4 pt scale. We use the traditional 100%. When we grade projects we do a 4pt scale. So we have mixed message scoring.

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My action plan is to talk with my department with incorporating SBL. I have to talk with other departments and see what they are doing to get tips how to start incorporating it more and not just with projects.

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My current grading system uses standards to assess students. My students can get 100% in music and receive a Standard Exceeds. My job is to grade on two standards, and they range from standard exceeds, standard met, standard developed, and standard not developed. This can be confusing to parents as there is not percentages like they are used to.

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A step I am taking to move toward standard based grading is to not grade students on behavior. One of my standards grade how students behave in the classroom and in the content this week, it is stated grading should only be on things students have learned.

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For math and ELA - absolutely! We are not there with science and social studies, but I would hope to get there some day! Right now, I use participation mostly for their grades in those subjects. I'm an all-subjects 5th grade teacher.

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This is a lesson that introduces students to the idea of a rubric and how they could use it to help them. It's really great for middle school students!

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Several of my current practices are reflective of a standards-based mindset.

Each unit, and subsequent assignment within that unit, are contributed to a specific math standard; that math standard has a rubric 0-5 that goes along with it. Mastery within that rubric is how a student’s grade is determined on that given unit.

Students are allowed and encouraged to show me what they know in any number of ways, understanding that each way they show me their mastery gives the opportunity to increase their grade on that unit. Level 5’s always involve an element where the are teaching, and showing DOK 3-4 mastery.

If a student shows increase of mastery, they are not penalized for previously struggling on an assignment or assessment.

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Currently my 0-5 rubrics have been entered in the grade book as the following percentages 1=55, 2=65, 3=75, 4=85, and 5=95. In the past, 0’s have only indicated that work has not been turned in and is missing. Instead, I’d like to change my practice for 0=45 and the overall grade in the grade book to be marked as “INC” until the student provides some evidence that I can use to determine their mastery.

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My school currently uses standards-based grading. I feel like I have a mixed mindset, but I am beginning to understand the importance of fully committing to standards-based grading. I think there are areas, like Artifact 1, where I need to provide a rubric that is more aligned with standards-based grading.

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My school currently uses standards-based grading. I feel like I have a mixed mindset, but I am beginning to understand the importance of fully committing to standards-based grading. I think there are areas, like Artifact 1, where I need to provide a rubric that is more aligned with standards-based grading.

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Mastery-Based High School - Mekaela Fowers

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Mastery-Based High School - Mekaela Fowers

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The grading practices at my school are entirely standards-based. Our model allows for different paces of students, which traditional schools often don't get. It can be challenging to stick with a true standards-based mindset when you are restricted by pacing guides, and you have to move on to the next unit, but you know some of your students aren't fully understanding. Fortunately, my school has no set time limits for students; they can be in a class for two weeks or two semesters (or more if needed!).

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Right now, we have a 12-level scale. One of the videos we watched suggested that less is really more. Right now, most of our teachers go by twos (2,4,6...) and we don't typically use the odds. When we do, it can be subjective. We either need to calibrate much more, OR we need to get rid of the odds and call it like it is, a 4 or a 6, not a 5.

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I have linked an example of our ELA continuum! Each student must complete each competency (and each skill within the competency) multiple times. At a freshmen level, they must show each skill twice, at a level 7 (meaning they have hit ALL of level 6 descriptors and at least have at least a level 8).

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My current grading practices include a hybrid approach. I work very hard to align each learning target to standards. I then offer both formative and summative assessments, projects, etc. that give an overall picture of the grade the student has earned. While we have a weighted 100 point scale, when I grade assignments I measure them against the standards and convert it to a set point range. Once put in the grade book , it converts it to a percentage.

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A current action that I will be taking next year is to continue aligning assignments with standards. Also, creating a new rubric form for projects.

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Here is great link that has updated current examples of school districts successfully shifting to the Standards Based Mindset. They also discuss Mastery Based Grading.

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Shifting Your Grading Practices: 8 Examples from the Field

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Student-centered grading uses transparent, consistent, mastery-based practices, as illustrated by districts across the country implementing competency-based grading systems.

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My grading practice is still a tradidtional grading system with letter grades and percentages. This year I would also use zeros for students who didn't turn work in. After our readings and the videos we've watched so far, I will be switching to a hybrid model next school year.

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I created some small engine 'standards' for artifact 1. I am planning to use those next fall. I am also planning to come up with more standards for the entire semester to move closer to a standards-based grading system. The school will still use standard grades and percentages, but I plan on grading only for standards.

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Here is an article on standards-based grading.

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Everything You Need to Know About Standards-Based Grading (2025)

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This is a guide to standards-based grading. If you want to know more about implementing Standards-Based Grading (SBG) for your school community, start your learning journey today!

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My current action plan for standards-based grading is to become more standards-based-minded. My school already uses standards-based grading; however, I still find myself evaluating more traditionally. I think it will benefit my students and me if I am all in rather than having one foot in traditional grading practices.

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I would say that my current grading practices do not reflect a standards-based approach because I am so new to this concept. Although I will definitely be adding this approach to my toolbox and am excited to do a bit more exploring of the standards-based mind and grading.

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A current action I will take is to learn as much as possible about the standards-based approach to grading. So, when I do have my own classroom, I can implement it with ease. to learn the ins and outs of it, so I can make it as beneficial for my students right off the bat.

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Jumping from 3rd grade to 7th grade math, I am still shaping what my grading will be. Within the traditional grade book, I hope that I can find the right balance and implement the important thinking behind standards-based mindset.

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As I enter my new classroom, I hope to ask a lot of questions how the district and school view grading. Then, I plan to get feedback from my math team and ask them specific questions about aligning to standards and how we can communicate very clearly with parents about where their child is at.