Standards-Based Grading

"What is Standards-Based Grading?"

Unlike a traditional grading system where students are given single, blanketed number or letter grades for assignments, standards-based grading (S-BG) allows teachers to assess student mastery of the individual skills that make up those assignments. In turn, students are able to hone in specifically on the areas where they are struggling most. For example, instead of a student just receiving one overall grade for his/her essay, he/she would receive a separate grade for the strength of the thesis statement, a separate grade for the incorporation of evidence to support claims, and a separate grade for grammar and conventions. The average of these sub-grades would then constitute the whole.