Why I Love Standards-Based Grading

The Best Alternative to Traditional Grading

Standards-based grading (SBG) is a system that guides and evaluates students' progress towards mastering learning targets. In contrast to a traditional grade which forces me to condense everything about a student's progress into a single letter or number grade, SBG gives a detailed picture of the student's strengths and weaknesses. This allows me to have more productive conversations with the student on how they can improve their understanding. Using SBG makes me more intentional when I design lessons and assessments, and ensure the grades I assign are more equitable.

• providing student-friendly rubrics when giving an assignment
• setting a miniumum grade for missing and unsatisfactory work (ex: 55%)
• not offering extra credit
• not assigning a grade for behaviors like participation
• making homework optional

Recommended Reading: Grading for Equity, by Joe Feldman

Want to Get Started with SBG in Your Classroom?