Alternate Grading: Moving Beyond Traditional Grading Toward More Reliable and Accurate Assessment of Learning

Moving Beyond Traditional Grading Toward More Reliable and Accurate Assessment of Learning

Alternate forms of grading have the potential to more accurately measure student attainment of course learning goals by establishing specific (and accurate) descriptions of what actually constitutes “A-level” work. Contrary to what many believe, stepping away from traditional grading and traditional grading frameworks can hold students accountable to higher standards and promote deeper, more engaged student learning.

As Linda Nilson (the ‘mother’ of specifications grading) states in Yes Virginia, There is a Better Way to Grade, IHE, 19 January (2016).:

“Let’s admit that, right now, our grades have little connection to outcomes. Students earning an A may have achieved all the outcomes of a course, but what about those getting a B, a C or a D? Did they achieve some outcomes and not others? If so, which ones? Or did they achieve few or none at an acceptable level? Even so, they passed the course.…Imagine another grading system, one where you grade all assignments and tests satisfactory/unsatisfactory, pass/fail. Students earn all of the points associated with the work, or none of them, depending on whether their work meets the particular specifications you laid out for it. …But don’t think of them [specifications] as defining D or even C minus work. Rather, imagine that they define truly “satisfactory” as at least B work — maybe even A minus work. This assures rigor.”

See, Schinske & Tanner (2017). Teaching more by grading less (or differently), CBE—Life Sciences Education 13(2) for an overview of the traditional grading system – and a critical discussion of the frequently stated purposes of grades: Grades as Feedback on Performance • Grades as a Motivator of Student Effort • Grades as a Tool for Comparing Students • Grades as an Objective Evaluation of Student Knowledge.

See also – Robert Talbert. When a number is not a number, April 2022, In Grading for Growth

Specifications Grading

As the name implies, specifications grading uses very specific and clearly articulated requirements for a final grade. It relies on a pass/fail grading scheme wherein “passing” is set at a B-level or higher.

See Nilson, L.B. (2014). Specifications Grading: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, and Saving Faculty Time (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003447061

Alternate Grading

Alternate grading is a general term for any approach to evaluating and grading student work that falls outside of the traditional approach. For an overview and background, as well as examples from a variety of academic disciplines, see the resources below.