Introduction to Alternative Grading

Reflection

Imagine teaching a class where students never receive scores or grades on any assignments (they can still receive feedback)...

  • What’s one benefit this could have for you as an educator or your students as learners?
  • What’s one challenge this could pose for you or your students?

What Is Traditional Grading? 

“Traditional grading” generally refers to points- or percentage-based approaches to grading, both of which typically share the following features:

  • Each assignment (and assessment) is given a point or percentage value, with more important assignments worth a larger proportion of the final grade
  • Individual assignments (and assessments) are graded by deducting points for errors to yield a score representing “what’s left” after errors (e.g., 9/10 or 90%)
  • Final grades are calculated by either dividing points earned by total points possible or taking a weighted average
  • (Often, though not always) students are not given an opportunity to correct errors or resubmit their work for credit; what’s done is done
  • (Often, though not always) students do not receive credit for the various forms of labor that go into learning, only on the final performance; thus, grades emphasize product over process

Learn more about points-based grading

In points-based grading, each assignment (and assessment) is given a point value. Typically, more important assignments are given higher point values and, thus, larger contributions to the final grade. For example, each exam might be worth 20 points, whereas each homework assignment might be worth only 5 points. Point values should be informed by the course learning outcomes. Read more about mapping assignments onto your course learning outcomes using backwards design. 

When grading an individual assignment using a points-based grading system, points are deducted for errors to yield a score (number of points earned out of points possible). For example, if a homework assignment is worth 5 points, and 1 point is deducted for an incorrect answer, the student would receive a score of 4 out of 5. 

At the end of the semester, each student’s final grade is typically calculated as the percentage of points earned out of the total number of points possible across all assignments and assessments. The instructor would then apply a grading scheme with letter grade cutoffs to assign each student a final letter grade based on their percentage grade. For example, if a student earned 1,000 points out of 1,080 total possible points that semester, their final percentage grade would be calculated as 1000/1080 = 93%. The default grading scheme in Canvas defines an “A-” as 90% to < 94%. Therefore, if the instructor were using this default grading scheme, they would assign this student a final letter grade of “A-.” See this tutorial on how to add or modify a grading scheme in Canvas.

Please see below for a simple example illustrating a points-based grading approach. Note that an actual course would have a larger number and variety of assignments and assessments.

Assignment

Score (Points Earned)

Points Possible

Homework 1

4

5

Homework 2

5

5

Homework 3

3

5

Exam 1

18

20

Exam 2

16

20

Total

46

55

This student’s final percentage grade is 46/55 = 84%. If the instructor of this course is using the default grading scheme in Canvas, they would assign this student a final letter grade of “B.”

Learn more about percentage-based grading

In percentage-based grading, each assignment (or assessment) may be graded based on points or out of 100%. Importantly, however, assignments are grouped into categories or assignment groups. For example, groups may include homework assignments, clickers, discussion board posts, exams, papers, and projects. Each of these assignment groups is given a percentage weight. Typically, more important groups are given higher percentage weights and, thus, larger contributions to the final grade. For example, a group of 4 exams might be worth 30% of the final grade, whereas a group of 10 homework assignments might be worth only 20% of the final grade. Therefore, each individual exam is worth .30/4 = 7.5% of the final grade, whereas each individual homework assignment is worth only .20/10 = 2% of the final grade. Percentage weights should be informed by the course learning outcomes. Read more about mapping assignments onto your course learning outcomes using backwards design. 

At the end of the semester, each student’s final percentage grade is calculated by taking a weighted average across all assignment groups. The instructor would then apply a grading scheme with letter grade cutoffs to assign each student a final letter grade based on their percentage grade. 

Please see below for a simple example illustrating a percentage-based grading approach. This hypothetical course included 10 homework assignments worth 20% of the final grade, 5 discussion board posts worth 25% of the final grade, 4 exams worth 30% of the final grade, and 2 papers worth 25% of the final grade. 

Assignment category
(number of assignments)

Percentage Earned for this Category

Weight

Calculation

Homework assignments (10)

90%

20%

.90 * .20

Discussion board posts (5)

83%

25%

.83 * .25

Exams (4)

79%

30%

.79 * .30

Papers (2)

80%

25%

.80 * .25

Weighted average
(sum of category percentages multiplied
by their respective weights)

  

82%

This student’s final percentage grade is 82%. If the instructor of this course is using the default grading scheme in Canvas, this student would be assigned a final letter grade of “B-.”

What Concerns Have Been Raised about Traditional Grading?

A growing research literature (and first-hand observations) suggest that traditional points- and percentage-based grading approaches may have unintended negative impacts on students and educators. This includes the following key concerns:

  • Traditional grading may focus students’ attention on avoiding losing points, rather than on learning (e.g., taking intellectual risks; see Blum, 2017) 
  • Frequent grading may reduce students’ intrinsic motivation to learn (Pufrey, Darnon, & Butera, 2013; Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 2001)
  • Grading promotes student social comparison–comparing themselves to their peers to see how they “stack up” (Michaelides & Kirschner, 2005)
  • Grading increases student stress, which may place students at a higher risk for mental health issues (e.g., Sekhon et al., 2015; Michaelides & Kirschner, 2005)
  • Grading is stressful and time-consuming for educators, taking time and energy away from more meaningful teaching and learning activities, while contributing to overwork
Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning

What Is Alternative Grading?

Alternative Grading

In recent years, a number of books and peer-reviewed articles have presented alternatives to traditional grading. These approaches have collectively come to be known as “alternative grading.” The alternative grading movement has been disorienting for those of us who have relied on traditional grading approaches for much of our teaching careers. At the same time, it inspires and challenges us to imagine how we might redesign grading to better support the learning and success of all students.  

Talbert (2021) defines alternative grading as “an umbrella term for all approaches to grading that attempt to improve on traditional grading, especially by following at least one of the ‘four pillars’.” We recommend the book Grading for Growth by Clark and Talbert (2023) to learn more about how to apply the four pillars in your own courses. 

The four pillars are:

Enhancing transparency around the standards that will be used to evaluate student work

Providing actionable and ongoing feedback to support student learning and improvement 

Giving students scores, grades, or other marks that provide meaningful information on where their work stands relative to the standards

Allowing students opportunities to resubmit or reattempt work for credit and without penalty 

Examples of Alternative Grading Approaches Include:

How Does Alternative Grading Aim to Support the Learning and Success of All Students?

Alternative Grading

 

At a high level, alternative grading approaches generally aim to achieve some subset of the following:

  • Decenter grades and refocus assessment on promoting student learning
  • Promote student intellectual curiosity and risk-taking
  • Enhance students’ intrinsic motivation to learn
  • Support collaborative learning 
  • Promote student metacognition and self-regulated learning
  • Improve student and educator well-being  
  • Foster a growth mindset
  • Encourage educators to design more challenging assignments, knowing students have opportunities to resubmit or reattempt work without penalty
  • Empower educators to spend less time on grading, at least as traditionally conceived (e.g., deducting points and justifying said deductions), and more time on the more meaningful aspects of teaching and learning (e.g., providing high-quality feedback)

What Is One “Small” Way to Get Started with Alternative Grading, Including in Large Courses?

If you are interested in trying out alternative grading in your own course but not yet adopting it at the course level, we recommend specifications grading as an alternative grading approach that you can implement on just a single assignment or assessment. Notably, this approach can be used with success in large courses.

Specifications Grading

In specifications or “specs” grading, each assignment (or assessment) is graded credit/no credit using “specs” (specifications) and a simple checklist-style rubric. The specs are created by the instructor (prior to assigning the work) to represent the minimum criteria student work must meet to demonstrate proficiency or mastery on the learning outcomes–and to earn credit for the assignment. Specs are often set at the “B” (“meets expectations”) level or between the “B” and “A” (“excellent” or “exceeds expectations”) level. Thus, specs aim to hold student work to high standards. 

See below for a two-step process for converting a conventional, detailed analytic rubric to a simpler, checklist-style rubric to be used in specs grading.

Two-Step Rubric Conversion Process

Step 1: Starting with your existing analytic rubric, focus on the “A” and “B” levels (here represented by “Excellent” and “Meets expectations”).

Analytic Rubric - Alternative Grading

Rubric assessing Position, Support, and Method across four levels: Excellent, Meets Expectations, Revision Needed, and Not Assessable. Higher scores reflect clearer positions, stronger scholarly support, and more appropriate, fully developed methods.

 

View the complete rubric in Word format.

 

Step 2: Use the “A” and “B” levels to create specs representing the basic criteria student work must meet for them to demonstrate proficiency or mastery on the learning outcomes.

Specifications Grading Table

The first three specifications meet expectations; the remaining four are unmarked. Feedback fields are provided for both outcomes.

 

View the complete specs in Word format.

When grading individual assignments in specs grading, the instructor checks off which specs the student work meets, and which (if any) their work does not meet. Because this process is relatively quick, the instructor has more time to provide detailed, actionable feedback–including guidance on how the student can improve their work. Indeed, providing detailed feedback should be the focus of the grading process.

If a student’s work meets all of the specs, they receive credit for the assignment. If their work misses one or more specs, they receive no credit (or a mark of “Not yet,” which is intended to foster a growth mindset). Importantly, if you are implementing specs grading on a single assignment in a course that otherwise uses points- or percentage-based grading, you can give full points instead of credit and zero points instead of no credit. For example, if the assignment is worth 5 points, you may give a 5 if the student’s work meets all of the specs or a 0 if the student’s work misses one or more specs. (No student would receive a 4, 3, 2, or 1.)

Importantly, in specifications grading, students should be given opportunities to resubmit or reattempt work for full credit and without penalty. However, policies vary widely. If you are teaching a smaller course and using specs grading for just a single assignment, you may be able to offer each student unlimited reattempts; however, this is rare. If you are teaching a medium or large course and using specs grading for just a single assignment, you may only offer each student one reattempt. Further, if you are using specs grading on multiple assignments, you may give each student just 3-5 tokens for the entire semester that they can exchange for reattempts. Whatever your reattempt policy, we recommend establishing deadlines for reattempts to prevent a grading “pile-up” at the end of the semester.

Finally, if you were to adopt specifications grading at the course-level (i.e., for all assignments and assessments), prior to the start of the semester, you would need to create bundles of assignments corresponding to final letters grades of “A,” “B,” “C,” etc. If a student completes–and gets credit (meets all specs for)--all assignments and assessments in the “B” bundle, they would receive a final grade of “B” in the class. There is much more to specifications grading. For additional details, we encourage you to consult the recommended resources listed above.