Article: Grading
Applying a Standards-Based Grading Framework Across Lower Level Mathematics Courses
Jason Elsinger and Drew Lewis
Drew’s
Recommendation
In this article, Jay Elsinger and I describe a Standards-Based Grading system that has been adapted across a range of courses and institutions, with different student bodies. We describe different variations of the framework that you can adapt to your own particular instructional context.
In this paper, we offer a blueprint for an alternative grading scheme, namely standards-based grading (SBG). Although others may use the term a little more broadly, we will use SBG to refer to a grading system in which:
- Students are provided with a clear list of course learning objectives (referred to as standards) they must master.
- Final course grades are based primarily on how many standards the student masters.
- Students are provided ample opportunities to reassess mastery of any standard.
- Attempts are graded using a form of pass/fail grading, and only the best mark is used toward the course final grade.