A Note from Administration Regarding Above Article

This research study was done in 2016 by some of the leading grading experts in the United States. In it, you will find that traditional grading typically results in learning environments that focus on compliance rather than learning. We at IKM-Manning are attempting to cultivate a learning environment where students learn to a deeper level and become active participants in the learning process. Traditional grading practices encourage students to chase points rather than focus on the process of learning. This process of learning is engrained in SRG. SRG is more than just a policy. It uses a set of highly researched teaching strategies that do impact student success and have proven to over time. Grading students from 1 to 4 is only one small part of SRG. 

In addition, this research study digs into the idea that grading is an essential part of learning, not a byproduct. In comparison, no research study exists that argues that traditional grading is better than SRG. Again, SRG is more than a grade; it is a process of learning that communicates to students and parents where that student is aligned with essential standards. Technically, traditional grading doesn't allow for communication between a connection in A's, B's, C's, D's, or F's to any standards. SRG gives families greater context regarding where their student is aligned with the required state standards. 

John Hattie is another world-renowned researcher who has dedicated his life to understanding high-impact instructional practices. One of the great benefits of SRG is that it provides and communicates specifically the success criteria for each essential standard. His book, Visible Learning, is considered the gold standard in educational research. In this decades-long study, Hattie finds that Teacher Clarity is one of the greatest instructional practices for student achievement. SRG requires that teachers communicate to students what is expected to be considered "beginning, approaching, meeting, or exceeding" within any essential standard. In comparison- traditional grading does not do this. The difference between an A and a B might be half a point. Student knowledge cannot be reduced to just points; it must be specifically aligned to success criteria.