Educators agree that grades should motivate students and fairly assess learning, but not all grading systems do. Educational leaders are using alternative grading systems across the country to promote more equitable student development and raise student achievement.
In so many ways, our current grading system falls short. But, we haven’t formally defined how to evaluate a grading system or what we want to see in one. What would a better system provide that we do not currently have? Of course, it must be feasible and relatively simple to implement.
Negative competition and false perception of excellence
As we have seen, giving students partial credit for less-than-satisfactory work discourages them from striving for excellence. It reduces the marginal utility of investing more than a minimal amount of time and effort. It allows students to slither through their course work and thus win the higher education game.
A more effective grading system would include incentives for students to aim high, work hard, and do their best. It would require strong performances to earn any points, and poor work would be unacceptable.
Letter-Based Grading Has Significant Limitations
The letter-based grading has significant limitations that can produce inconsistent results and widen achievement gaps.
Inconsistent grading Methods
Letter grades can be unreliable indicators of student learning and work. When it comes to best practices and research on grading, few educators receive in-depth training. As a result, teachers use a variety of grading methods:
- Soft skills, behaviour, test scores, and attendance are all taken into account when calculating grades.
- Grades are assigned based on a combination of student effort and academic achievement.
- Grades are assigned solely based on academic performance and assignment completion.
- Grades are important. College acceptance, scholarships, and other important opportunities are determined by grade point averages. Because of the wide variation in what a letter grade may represent, students are subjected to an inherently flawed and unfair system: “A” work to one teacher may be “C” work to another.
There can be an implicit bias
Educators, like everyone else, can harbour unconscious biases that influence their perceptions of students based on their race, gender, and socioeconomic status, among other factors. Teachers’ interpretations of student behaviour and effort can be influenced by these implicit biases. Biased perceptions can lead to unfairly lower scores for some students.
For example, studies have shown that when it comes to judging student effort and participation, white teachers tend to give Black students lower grades than white students do. These lower grades can prevent students from pursuing educational opportunities, thereby widening the achievement gap.
Some alternative grading systems that can be explored
Educators can experiment with a variety of alternatives to the traditional letter-based grading system. Each alternative method has advantages that should be considered. The approaches listed below shift the learning focus and promote student development.
- Assessment through Games
Gamification in education entails applying game design concepts to learning in such a way that student progress can be tracked. It makes mastering skills and subject matter a game. As a result, gamification provides a fun, motivating alternative to letter-based grading.
Teachers, for example, can use point systems instead of letter grades. Students earn points for a variety of accomplishments. Students can use their points to purchase badges that demonstrate their understanding of concepts or skills. This method turns homework and class time into opportunities to advance, much like in a game. The process can be motivating.
- Pass/Fail Approach
The pass/fail grading system is simple. Students either receive or do not receive credit for a class. This binary approach enables students to progress as long as they complete work that exceeds a failing threshold.
The pass/fail grading system can relieve students of the pressure to achieve high grades. This stress can interfere with learning. Grades can tempt students to cheat in some cases. In others, it may cause struggling students to withdraw and give up. Because of these outcomes, learning opportunities are lost. A pass/fail approach shifts the emphasis away from grades and eliminates the use of grades as rewards; instead, learning is rewarded.
Students are redirected when their focus is diverted away from grades. Students who forego extracurricular activities to achieve all A’s in a traditional grading system, for example, broaden their view of what school success entails. The pass/fail strategy can also help to reduce competition.
Instead of focusing on who gets the highest grades, students can devote more time to reflecting on their learning processes and goals. For struggling students, the pass/fail system provides much-needed relief and allows them to focus on what they need to work on.
- Feedback in Real-Time
Giving students constructive criticism and advice while they work is what live feedback entails. Instead of receiving an assessment at the end of an assignment, students receive guidance and feedback from their teachers as they work.
Collaboration between teachers and students is emphasised in the live feedback approach. Teachers guide students through the process, responding to individual student needs. When students do not immediately grasp a concept, they are encouraged and guided.
Live feedback also provides teachers with valuable insights into student learning in real-time. This enables teachers to better determine what materials to cover in lessons and how to pace instruction.
- Self-Assessments
Self-assessments are another method for monitoring student progress. Students consider the assignment’s goals and learning objectives and then assess the quality of their work in light of those standards. Their self-evaluations identify their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to see where they can improve.
Self-evaluation is reflective. Students monitor their learning processes by establishing performance measures. They also gain control over their education. Self-evaluations enable students to become problem solvers. The process shifts the emphasis from the result to the process.
- Portfolios to be used
Digital portfolios are collections of multimedia student work. They highlight student learning and skills and allow teachers and students to curate the best work of their students.
Students describe their portfolio items. This allows them to reflect on themselves. Portfolios also provide a comprehensive way for teachers to assess students’ progress. Typically, a portfolio will include work from the entire school year. Selecting representative pieces over time allows students to reflect on the learning process and see how they have progressed.
Portfolios also provide students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate that they met learning objectives and standards.
- Education Based on Mastery
Mastery-based education teaches students a set of skills that are appropriate for their grade level. Students advance to the next level once they have mastered a skill. In a math class, for example, students may work on mastering the multiplication table. They progress to the next skill after demonstrating competency a predetermined number of times.
Students who are struggling do not receive failing grades. Instead, they practise concepts until they understand them and then move on. Teachers provide students with progress updates, including what skills they still need to master. Students can advance to the next grade level as long as they have mastered the necessary skills by the end of the school year.
Students can progress at their own pace with this system. Fast learners can advance quickly and excel, whereas slower learners can take their time.
Key Takeaways
Finding effective grading systems that measure student learning equitably while also motivating students necessitates assessment strategy expertise. Educational leaders should consider how alternative grading systems could achieve those goals while addressing grading method differences and issues such as implicit bias.
Also published on Medium.