Proportional grading takes some getting used to

When I first heard that CVHS started implementing standards-based grading, I thought nothing much would change. In a couple of my classes, teachers already used standards-based grading. Besides, we can still see letter grades in Aeries and on report cards. But when I started experiencing standards-based grading more and more, I realized it functioned quite differently in practice.

CVUSD bases standards-based grading on “learning standards and shows what students know and can do, rather than being influenced by factors such as compliance, participation, or access to resources.” This grading system aims to curb teacher biases, improve accuracy, and also motivate students to focus on understanding. 

I believe standards-based grading has lots of benefits. For example, a 3.5 or a 3.2 translates to an A under this system. In contrast, traditional grading assigns an A to a 90% or 3.6. This structure boosted grades in the long term as the number of Bs significantly increased, and Cs slightly increased. But, eliminating “grade inflation” from non-academic factors, standards-based grading also reduced the number of A’s. This is concerning for many high achieving students. 

I also appreciate that standards-based grading emphasizes continuous growth. Teachers often highly recommend reassessments, which give students opportunities to show their growth and improvement.

On top of that, this system separates any behavioral factors from academic performance. Traditional grading includes behavior factors, such as homework completion, effort, participation, and timeliness, that standards-based grading doesn’t have. Removing subjective measures like effort or participation improves fairness as well. Although, I believe schools should still enforce homework completion and timeliness as those expectations can motivate students to complete work efficiently.

However, standards-based grading has fewer levels, so small mistakes can have a larger impact on a score. For example, on a 40-question quiz, missing one question could result in a 3.5 instead of the well deserved 3.9. This scale frustrates me, as I feel in this situation that a 3.5 doesn’t accurately display understanding. 

Furthermore, because summative assessments carry significantly more weight than homework, they create stress for students who struggle with test-taking, including me. On top of that, motivation to actually do homework decreases because homework has little impact on overall grades. 

Overall, standards-based grading presents meaningful strengths while also introducing some tough challenges. It emphasizes understanding and continuous improvement, reduces bias, and allows students to demonstrate growth. Overall, while the new system can feel stressful at times, I still appreciate how it encourages learning over aiming for a good grade.