Introduction to Alternative Grading

Definition: Alternative grading systems shift away from traditional points-based assessments, instead focusing on evaluating students’ mastery of learning objectives. This approach moves beyond simply tallying scores to examine how well students understand and apply knowledge. In competency-based assessment, student progress is measured by how proficient they become in specific skills or concepts, which can be demonstrated through various assessment methods. These assessments might include written exams, projects, presentations, or even collaborative work, each offering different ways for students to show their understanding.

A key component of alternative grading is the option for reassessment, where students have multiple opportunities to improve their performance. This places emphasis on growth and learning over time, rather than penalizing students for mistakes made early in the course.

Rationale: The rationale for alternative grading stems from addressing the inherent limitations of traditional grading systems. Traditional grading often places undue emphasis on points and percentages, which can obscure a student’s true understanding and encourage a focus on grades over learning. Students may become discouraged by low scores early in the semester, focusing on deficits rather than growth. Alternative grading, in contrast, shifts attention to learning progress and mastery, creating a more transparent and supportive grading environment.

Alternative grading methods support student learning, growth, and equity by encouraging risk-taking, self-assessment, and persistence. This approach acknowledges that students learn at different rates and may need multiple attempts to fully grasp difficult concepts. By emphasizing mastery and growth, alternative grading aligns more closely with the goals of education—to foster deep understanding, critical thinking, and lifelong learning—while promoting a more equitable classroom environment where all students have the opportunity to succeed.

Practical Implementation of Alternative Grading

Defining Mastery: At the heart of alternative grading is the concept of mastery—students demonstrating a clear understanding and fluency with specific learning objectives. Defining mastery requires instructors to establish clear and specific criteria that reflect different levels of proficiency. This means moving beyond broad descriptors like “excellent” or “satisfactory” and instead articulating the specific skills or knowledge a student must demonstrate to be considered proficient. For instance, in a writing assignment, mastery might be defined as the ability to construct a cohesive argument supported by evidence, whereas in a math class, it might mean solving complex problems with accuracy and explaining the reasoning behind the solutions.

Mastery is not simply about correctness; it emphasizes fluency and the ability to apply knowledge in new and varied contexts. It is important to ensure that students know exactly what it means to demonstrate mastery of a topic and what areas need improvement. By establishing detailed criteria, students can more easily track their own progress and take ownership of their learning journey.

Managing Reassessments: A cornerstone of alternative grading is the opportunity for reassessment, allowing students to demonstrate improved understanding over time. However, it’s crucial to set clear and reasonable limits on the frequency and number of reassessments. Without boundaries, reassessments can become overwhelming for both students and instructors, making it difficult to manage time effectively.

One approach is to offer structured opportunities for reassessment within the course design. For example, reassessments could be scheduled at regular intervals or tied to specific milestones, such as after a review session or completion of a learning module. Additionally, setting a maximum number of reassessments per student or per assignment can prevent students from relying too heavily on this option while still encouraging improvement. Instructors may also consider incorporating smaller quizzes or reflective assignments that help students assess their readiness before engaging in full reassessment, minimizing the need for excessive retakes.

Rethinking Homework: In an alternative grading system, homework can be reimagined to better align with learning objectives. Rather than simply assigning work for completion, homework should serve as a tool for reinforcing and practicing mastery. Assignments can be designed to directly support the skills or knowledge students need to demonstrate in summative assessments.

In some courses, alternative grading might focus primarily on exams or projects, with homework serving as ungraded practice or formative assessment. This approach allows students to use homework as a way to prepare for more significant assessments without the pressure of grading, creating a space for learning and exploration. For instructors who choose to grade homework, it’s important to ensure that these assignments clearly align with course goals and are assessed based on mastery rather than completion alone.

Choosing Revision vs. New Attempts: When implementing alternative grading, instructors must weigh the benefits of offering students the option to revise their work versus allowing new attempts. Revisions can foster deeper learning by encouraging students to reflect on feedback, identify areas of weakness, and improve their understanding. This iterative process promotes growth and ensures that students engage with the material in a meaningful way. However, grading revisions can also be time-consuming, especially if multiple drafts are involved.

Alternatively, allowing students to make new attempts—such as through retakes of exams or new versions of assignments—can streamline the grading process by reducing the need for detailed feedback on each revision. New attempts can still focus on mastery but might require students to demonstrate their understanding in different ways, ensuring that they are not simply redoing the same task without learning from past mistakes. Ultimately, instructors will need to balance the pedagogical benefits of revisions with the practicalities of managing their workload and student progress.

Addressing Common Concerns

High Averages: One common concern with alternative grading systems is that students may end up with higher averages than under traditional grading, leading to the perception that grades are inflated. However, it’s important to communicate that the goal of alternative grading is not to make the grading easier, but to focus on students’ eventual understanding rather than their initial struggles. High averages should reflect mastery and proficiency, rather than rewarding a few isolated moments of strong performance. By maintaining high standards for what constitutes proficiency, instructors can ensure that high averages are earned through genuine improvement and deep understanding of the material.

It can be helpful to remind students that alternative grading values growth over time. A student may struggle at first, but the system is designed to reward persistence and learning, not penalize early mistakes. Emphasizing this to students will help them understand that high averages are a reflection of their eventual achievement of course objectives.

Discretization of Knowledge: Another concern is that grading systems like specifications grading, which focus on discrete tasks or competencies, may fragment learning, isolating skills or knowledge areas in a way that doesn’t reflect how students will apply them in the real world. To counter this, instructors should aim to incorporate big-picture assessments, where students can demonstrate their ability to integrate and apply knowledge in more holistic ways. This could take the form of projects, case studies, or performance tasks that require students to draw on multiple areas of knowledge and skills.

Active learning strategies such as problem-based learning, simulations, or group work can also be effective in helping students see the connections between different competencies. By embedding these strategies into the course, instructors can prevent the siloing of knowledge that sometimes comes with competency-based approaches.

Building Buy-in: A successful alternative grading system requires buy-in from both students and institutional stakeholders. Transparency is key: communicate clearly and consistently with students about how the system works, why it’s beneficial for their learning, and what success will look like. Provide examples of student success stories or case studies where alternative grading helped students improve their understanding and engagement.

Advocating for alternative grading with colleagues and administrators is also important. Share research on the positive impact of these approaches on learning outcomes, equity, and motivation. In some cases, it might be helpful to demonstrate that these systems align with institutional goals around student success and retention.

Equity Considerations

Focus on Growth: One of the core advantages of alternative grading systems is their potential to foster an inclusive classroom environment by emphasizing individual progress. Rather than comparing students to one another or ranking them, this system highlights growth, encouraging students from all backgrounds and learning styles to focus on personal improvement. This approach can reduce the pressure of constant competition, and instead, foster a sense of ownership over learning.

Removing Grade Comparisons: Traditional grading often encourages grade comparisons among students, which can create unhealthy competition and discourage collaboration. Alternative grading systems, particularly those that do not curve, help shift the focus away from comparing grades and towards learning outcomes. This shift allows students to recognize and appreciate diverse learning paths, with each student able to succeed on their own terms.

By eliminating curving and emphasizing proficiency-based grading, instructors can foster a more cooperative and inclusive learning environment, where students are encouraged to help one another and collaborate without fear of impacting their grades.

Opportunity and Flexibility: Providing students with opportunities for reassessment and flexible deadlines is central to the equity-driven goals of alternative grading. These approaches acknowledge that not all students learn at the same pace or face the same challenges outside of the classroom. By offering multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery and creating flexible structures for assignments, instructors can support diverse learners and promote equity.

Adaptability Across Disciplines

Higher-Level Courses: Alternative grading, particularly specifications grading, is well-suited for higher-level courses where students are expected to demonstrate mastery of complex skills. In such courses, setting clear standards for proficiency ensures that students must meet rigorous expectations while also benefiting from opportunities for revision and improvement. Specifications grading can be particularly effective for project-based assessments or capstone courses where students must synthesize knowledge.

Skills-Based Courses: For courses focused on specific skills—such as lab work, language acquisition, or technical training—standards-based testing can align well with existing structures. In these courses, clearly defined competencies make it easier to measure mastery, and the flexibility to reassess helps students focus on improving essential skills. Alternative grading systems can enhance these courses by offering opportunities for practice, reflection, and growth, rather than penalizing students for early struggles.

Large Classes: Implementing alternative grading in large classes can be challenging but is certainly feasible with some thoughtful adjustments. Simplified systems like single-point rubrics can make the process more manageable, and technology—such as learning management systems with built-in rubric functionality—can facilitate the grading process. Additionally, effective training and support for teaching assistants (TAs) can ensure consistency in grading across multiple sections, while maintaining the core principles of the alternative grading system.

Embracing Flexibility in Implementation

Gain Experience: For instructors new to alternative grading, piloting the system in one course is an excellent way to gain experience before expanding its use. Starting with a single class allows instructors to troubleshoot and refine their approach, experimenting with different grading methods to find what works best for their students and teaching style.

Build in Flexibility: When implementing alternative grading, flexibility is key. One way to build flexibility into the system is to use percentages instead of absolute counts for requirements. For example, students could be asked to demonstrate mastery of 80% of the course objectives, allowing them some room to focus on areas of personal interest or strength while still achieving overall proficiency. This kind of flexibility can reduce student anxiety and make the grading system more adaptable to individual needs.

Adjust When Necessary: Finally, it’s important for instructors to remain open to adjustments throughout the semester. This could mean modifying grade requirements or reassessment policies based on student feedback or performance. Alternative grading is a dynamic process, and being responsive to student needs will help maintain its effectiveness and ensure a positive learning experience for all.

Alternative Grading Methods

Choosing the Right Approach for Your Course

When deciding which alternative grading system to implement, it’s important to consider your course goals, class structure, and student needs. Here are some factors to guide your decision-making:

Consider Your Goals:
What are the core learning objectives of your course? If you’re focused on mastery of specific skills or knowledge, specifications grading might be the best fit. If your goal is to encourage student reflection and autonomy, ungrading or contract grading might be more effective.

Class Size and Structure:
Large classes may be better suited to simplified systems like specifications grading, where clear, pass/fail criteria can streamline grading. Smaller, discussion-based courses might benefit from more flexible systems like ungrading or contract grading, which allow for deeper reflection and personalized learning pathways.

Student Buy-In:
Communicating the rationale for alternative grading systems is essential to building student trust and engagement. Explain the benefits of the system and how it aligns with their learning goals. Providing examples of how these systems have worked in the past can help students see the value in the approach.