Traditional Grading
The purpose of traditional grading is to evaluate a student's performance in a course by assigning a numeric or letter grade. Common letter grades range from A (excellent, 100%) to B (good, 89%) to C (fair, 79%) to D (poor, 60%) to F (failure, 0%). Attendance, participation, homework, class assignments, quizzes, examinations, and other assessments are typically considered in the conventional approach to grading. The existing approach relies on mathematical average score, which doesn't seem right because, just as teachers can't control some elements, neither can students (Scriffiny, 2008).
Standards-Based Grading
The process of creating a set of learning standards or objectives that students are expected to master and measuring their progress toward these standards through frequent tests and assignments is known as standards-based grading (Townsley, 2014). Grades are frequently assigned depending on each specific standard's mastery by the student. This strategy enables teachers to provide thorough comments on specific areas of strength and weakness, while also encouraging learners to focus on specific areas for improvement.
Competency-Based Education
Competency-based education places an emphasis on total subject or skill set proficiency. Instructors assess a student's general ability in a subject rather than their progress toward specific benchmarks (Townsley, 2014). This can entail assessing the student's capacity to use what they've learned to tackle difficult challenges or circumstances in the actual world (Townsley, 2014). When students are pursuing a particular certification or degree, such as in vocational or technical education programs, competency-based grading is usually applied. Townsley (2014) explained, “learning expands beyond the classroom. For example, in a competency-based system, a student who learns a lot about woodworking over the summer may earn credit when he or she returns to school the next year. Similarly, students are encouraged to learn outside the classroom so that they can demonstrate competencies at their own, rapid rate.” This is seen in the workplace when a person pursues professional development outside of the workplace in order to obtain credentials that will allow them to showcase their competencies and increase there chances of promotion.
Conclusion
Many parents are appreciative of the revision and retesting because all they want is for their children to achieve. Every year, concerned parents pose probing queries; some have even pointed out that the grading system is strikingly similar to that used in the company or organization (Scriffiny, 2008). It is accurate what parents claim about the standards-based grading system being comparable to the job. At work, no letter grade is provided to the employees. This year, my performance review included a list of my daily responsibilities and tasks along with ratings for how well we completed them, including marginal, fair, good, superior, and not applicable. Even teachers are assessed or "graded" according to a rubric with performance categories like distinguished, accomplished, proficient, developing, and improvement needed. Why then do we assign students meaningless letter grades?
See https://www.teacherease.com/standards-based-grading.aspx for more details, videos, and graphics comparing traditional with standards-based grading.
References
Common Goal Systems Inc. (2023). What is standards-based grading? TeacherEase.
Retrieved February 17, 2023, from https://www.teacherease.com/standards-based-grading.aspx
Scriffiny, P. L. (2008, October). Seven reasons for standards-based grading. ASCD. Retrieved
February 17, 2023, from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/seven-reasons-for-standards-based-grading
Townsley, M. (2014, November 11). What is the difference between standards-based grading
(or reporting) and competency-based education? Aurora Institute. Retrieved February 17, 2023, from https://aurora-institute.org/cw_post/what-is-the-difference-between-standards-based-grading/
Comment by: Francisco Sanchez from EDU6380
Hello Alicia,
Great blog post. Throughout our shared experiences during our classes, your perspective from “outside the classroom” has always provided a better grounded and more well-rounded view. Being in education tends to give a sort of group-think mentality, and we often miss the very purpose we are in education. For example, in your conclusion, you include a real-world example of how your performance review is generated, the parameters used, and the language used to measure your level of success in your job. Your insight regarding your employment was an excellent example of how standards-based grading occurs in the adult world and how we struggle as educational entities to truly move over to such…