Standards-Based Grading

One of the most common questions I get about standards-based grading is this: “What do you do when a student misses a quiz?” And honestly? There isn’t a perfect one-size-fits-all answer. The best solution depends heavily on: your school context, your schedule, your student population, your campus policies, and your own personal bandwidth as a teacher. What works beautifully in one school may completely fall apart in another. So instead of giving a rigid formula, I think it’s

One of the most controversial parts of our grading system is this: The lowest grade in my classroom is a 50, not a zero. For some people, that statement immediately raises concerns. Doesn’t that lower expectations? Doesn’t that let students off the hook? Doesn’t that create entitlement? I understand those questions because I had many of them myself. And just like with retakes, I believe there absolutely need to be healthy boundaries around this policy. But after years of teac

Few topics in education create stronger opinions than retakes. Some teachers strongly support them. Others believe retakes lower standards, encourage poor habits, or fail to prepare students for the “real world.” And honestly? I think many of those concerns are valid. Retakes absolutely can become harmful if they are implemented poorly. I’ve seen situations where retakes turned into endless second chances without accountability or growth. But I’ve also seen the opposite probl

Once teachers see the structure of our concept quizzes, the next question is usually: “Okay… but how do you actually grade them?” Do we grade them like traditional tests? Do we give partial credit? Does this take forever? After years of refining the process, we’ve found that grading standards-based quizzes can actually be faster, clearer, and more aligned with student understanding than traditional grading systems. The Structure of the Quiz Each quiz in my classroom has: 3 pr

Once we’ve created our concept checklist, the next step is designing assessments for each concept. In my classroom, I call these assessments quizzes instead of tests. That may seem like a small detail, but language matters. The word “quiz” tends to feel less threatening to students, which helps create a classroom culture focused more on growth and learning than fear and performance. But the bigger question is this: What actually makes good standards-based grading quizzes? Aft

One of the biggest shifts in standards-based grading isn’t actually the grading itself. It’s deciding what truly matters. Before we can create quizzes, assess learning, or build a gradebook, we first need clarity on the most important concepts students should deeply understand during the school year. That’s where concept checklists come in. Example of a standards-based grading concept checklist from my classroom. What Is a Concept Checklist? A concept checklist is the foundat

Early in my teaching career, I kept running into the same frustrating pattern. A student would make a very low test grade… and then mentally check out for the rest of the grading period. Sometimes for the entire year. At first, I didn’t understand it. I cared deeply about my students. I encouraged growth mindset. I told students that mistakes were part of learning. I worked hard to create a positive classroom culture. But eventually I realized something important: My grading