Unlike traditional grading systems, a standards-based grading system measures a student’s mastery of grade-level learning targets by prioritizing the most recent, consistent level of performance. Thus a student who may have struggled at the beginning of a course, when
first encountering new material, may still be able to demonstrate mastery of key content/concepts by the end of a grading period. A student who is at grade level at the start of the course can then work to apply the knowledge and background they already have to push
themselves further.
In a traditional grading system, a student’s performance for an entire quarter is averaged together. Early quiz scores that were low would be averaged together with more proficient performance later in the course, resulting in a lower overall grade than current performance indicates.
Standards-based report cards separate academic performance from work habits and behavior
in order to provide parents a more accurate view of a student’s progress in both academic and behavioral areas. Variables such as effort, participation, timeliness, cooperation and attitude are reported separately, not as an indicator of a student’s academic performance.