What are the Shifts to Competency-Based Assessment, Grading and Reporting?

This graphic represents the spectrum of change initiatives that move further and further away from traditional grading practices. Standards-Based Reporting, Competency-Based Reporting and Competency-Based/ Alternative Crediting, although all distinct, all fall under a new paradigm of assessment, grading and reporting. 

Many systems first tackle moving away from inequitable traditional grading practices by updating their grading policies. This creates an alternative grading system where a few policies might be in place, such as: 

• Dropping the lowest score (acknowledging that learners have rough days) 

• Removing zeros for missing work (requiring learners to make up that work after school or during make up periods) 

• Having a minimum grade such as a 50 (makes the grading system a 50 point system instead of 100) 

• Weighing summative assessments more or removing homework, participation, etc from the grade (looking to make the grade more clearly about the performance and less on compliance or behavior)

• Using letter grades (A, B, C, D, F) instead of 100 points or percentages and removing half letters (no A+ or B-) (to reduce the risk of drastically measuring learner performance differently among educators) 

Specifying these policies and making them more consistent across a school or district provides more clarity for learners, families and educators compared to a traditional system. These policies also help make grades more accurate, bias-free and motivational, which are the pillars of an equitable grading system according to Joe Feldman in his book "Grading for Equity" (Feldman, 2019).  

However, these policies still operate within a traditional paradigm of points and percentages focused on assignments rather than learning. In a Competency or Standards-Based assessment, grading and reporting paradigm, the emphasis shifts to learning, with assignments serving as vehicles for learners to demonstrate proficiency.

This is an example of a traditional Report Card with letter grades per term given on courses. Source: Aeries

While many Standards-Based and Competency-Based Reporting systems still group learners by grade level and promote or credit learning based on time, there are also numerous systems creatively exploring alternative promotion and crediting approaches. Martin classifies these systems as Competency-Based Crediting, which he defines as an extension of the Aurora Institute's Competency-Based Education definition, emphasizing that "demonstrated mastery/competency, not conventional course completion, is what is credited in school, and these competencies are recorded on transcripts and communicated in comprehensive and carefully delineated ways" (Martin, 2019, p. 12). He cites the Mastery Transcript Consortium, Lerner Medical College, Western Governors University, and a systemic approach in New Zealand secondary schools as examples.