Specifications grading

Overview: Specifications grading, in which students elect the grade they want to receive and strive to satisfactorily complete the requisite learning activities for that grade, appears to reduce student anxiety and increase learning. To date, the efficacy of this grading protocol is anecdotal. This learning community will explore best practices for specifications grading, and will potentially publish an empirical study based on our classroom experiences.

Rationale: Specifications grading is meant to reduce students’ grade anxiety and shift the focus to learning, but evidence of this approach’s efficacy is anecdotal. If this grading approach can increase student learning, we are obliged to explore it. Moreover, if this exploration leads to publishable empirical evidence, we can augment the campus’s national reputation for innovative pedagogy.