Grading Research Resources

In "Why It’s Crucial – and Really Hard – To Talk About More Equitable Grading," author Joe Feldman discusses the challenges of achieving equitable grading in schools. The article focuses on the experiences of Mallory, a school principal who observed inconsistent grading policies among teachers that resulted in vastly different grades for students of similar academic abilities. Mallory realized that this inconsistency in grading policies was causing confusion and distress among students and undermining the school's efforts to promote student achievement. The author raises questions about whether inconsistent grading is an unavoidable aspect of schools or a result of teacher creativity and professionalism and highlights the damaging impact on vulnerable students when principals avoid addressing grading inconsistencies. 

Teachers are changing their grading practices to be more equitable, transparent, and less punitive. Traditional grading practices often perpetuate bias against students with fewer resources, are subjective, and can contribute to inequity. The new grading system focuses on mastery of educational standards and eliminates practices that depend on resources outside of school curriculum, such as extra credit. Teachers who have implemented the new grading system have noticed a shift in their teaching approach, invested in external evaluation of grade distribution, and found that the new system has reduced the number of D's and F's, while also making it harder for students to earn A's. The decrease in D's and F's were clustered among Latinx, African-American, low-income, and students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Joe Feldman, who developed the new grading system, believes that the traditional grading system does not reflect the reality of students' abilities and potential and that the new grading system will create a more equitable and transparent education system for all students. 

The article "The 100 Point Grading Scale is a Stacked Deck" by Youki Terada examines the disadvantages of the 100-point grading system used in American education. While originally created to assess individual learning, the system has evolved to recenter the average grade around 75 rather than 50, with roughly 60% of the scale dedicated to failing marks. To combat this, some schools adopt minimum grading policies that reset zeroes to 50, which some argue encourages students to coast. However, studies have shown that students who benefit from minimum grading put more effort into their learning and earn higher scores on state exams. The article suggests alternatives to the 100-point grading system, such as dropping the lowest grade or using standards-based grading, and encourages teachers to provide feedback without grades to help students focus on learning rather than grades. 

In "Taking the Stress Out of Grading" by Joe Feldman, the author discusses how traditional grading practices can contribute to stress and anxiety in students, which hinders their learning. The article suggests that schools should consider alternative grading practices, such as using a 0-4 or 0-100 scale with a minimum floor of 50 percent, and eliminating curving grades, participation points, and excessive weighting of homework. The author argues that these alternative methods are fairer and promote a growth mindset, which allows students to learn from their mistakes and improve their performance. Ultimately, the article emphasizes the importance of minimizing stress to maximize student learning, especially during the pandemic, and suggests that grading should be seen as a tool to help students learn and improve, rather than a punishment or measure of their worth. 

In "Empowering Students by Demystifying Grading," the authors argue that grading is an area where teachers hold significant power over their students' learning, and that traditional grading practices perpetuate academic opportunity gaps for marginalized students. The article suggests that by making grading practices more transparent and explicit, students feel more agency and become more invested in their learning, leading to more equitable classrooms. The authors argue that teachers often rely on a hidden value system for success that negatively impacts students of color, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families, and that lifting the veil on performance expectations can increase students' power over their learning. 

In "The End of Points," Joe Feldman argues that the common use of points to measure student learning in classrooms can obscure important information about a student's performance and lead to a focus on individual points rather than overall understanding. The article presents alternative approaches, such as using a scale with simple descriptors of stages along a continuum of standards mastery, that provide a more accurate and nuanced understanding of student performance. By rethinking their reliance on points and providing more meaningful feedback, teachers can better guide students towards a deeper understanding of the material. 

Traditional grading practices are being rethought by more educators, with many adopting a standards-based grading system. The flaws of traditional grading practices have been highlighted during the pandemic, as they are inaccurate, not intrinsically motivating, and biased towards compliance and punctuality. Kristal Jaaskelainen believes that grading practices that punish mistakes are counterintuitive to learning, and soft skills should not be included in grades. Sarah Schopfer adopted a standards-based grading system that eliminates busywork and ensures that everything assigned has a clear purpose. She also abandoned performance factors and extra credit assignments, and put the responsibility on students to show that they know their stuff. Although it can be challenging to implement and explain, Schopfer believes that revising grading practices is worth it, as it creates a healthier and more positive relationship with students. 

In this episode, Sarah Zerwin, the author of the upcoming book "Point-less: An English Teacher’s Guide to More Meaningful Grading," advocates for moving away from traditional letter grades and using descriptive feedback instead. She shares her journey from traditional grading to this new approach and emphasizes the importance of clear learning goals for students. Sarah highlights that traditional grading can limit students' thinking and hinder their willingness to take risks. She also discusses how grading can be an equity issue, as it may not accurately reflect students' abilities and can perpetuate biases. Sarah's method involves actively involving students in setting their own learning goals and tracking their progress, which has been met with success in her classroom. She also mentions minimal pushback from parents and students regarding this approach, as open communication and continuous feedback are key elements of her teaching philosophy. Ultimately, Sarah hopes her book will make classrooms better for both students and teachers by allowing more room for meaningful learning experiences and creativity while shifting the focus from grades to the learning process.

Grades are crucial to students' academic and professional lives, but traditional grading systems are not fair, objective, or accurate reflections of student performance. They vary from teacher to teacher, provide unclear and often misleading information, and are often biased by race, class, and gender. To achieve equitable grading, mathematically sound approaches should be used, with more weight given to recent performance and growth instead of averaging performance over time. Additionally, grading should reflect what students know and can do, and not how teachers perceive or interpret their behavior. School board leaders can encourage equitable grading by examining grading practices and considering the value of equitable grading to close achievement gaps. Successful implementation of equitable grading involves bringing the right people to the table, pilot testing approaches through teacher-led action research, and expanding the effort over time.