MADISON, Wis. — Madison East High School is slowly transitioning to a new grading system that doesn’t use letters, the same system already used in elementary and middle schools.
The new system, called standards-based grading, focuses more on what students are able to do instead of what they’re able to memorize or repeat. It’s already being used at middle and elementary schools in the district.
Typical 100-point grading systems have been around for decades.
“We’re still stuck in the way that [grading] was created 100 years ago,” said Madison East Assistant Principal Jocelyn Lepinski. “To shift this also requires you to have the mindset that you believe students deserve this, and that they can grow.”
While the concept has been in development for years, their school software now reflects the change in grading. The system is changing first for ninth-graders in specific classes.
“Standards-based grading steps away from that traditional ‘well, here, look, you got all the questions right,’” Lepinski said. “The kid actually doesn’t have any idea what they got right or what they can do based on that.”
Instead of letter grades, their skills are deemed emerging, developing, proficient, or advanced. Lepinski said the standards-based grading gives teachers a much fuller picture of what students know, as opposed to an overall percentage and letter grade for an assignment or assessment.
Meghan Willauer is a bilingual math teacher at East. Her main class is algebra.
“For example, being able to solve an equation is a very key skill that students need to be able to do to move forward. Being able to graph, being able to write equations,” she said. “Thinking about these big ideas and how students build and demonstrate those skills is critical.”
On one test, students can be assessed on multiple skills, and get different grades on those specific skills. Willauer said that can help teachers target where students are, and what they need to move forward.
“In the past, students would get a C on a test, about 77%. That didn’t communicate to me what they knew, it was just an accumulation of some points, you earn two points on this problem, one point on this problem and all together magically at 77%,” Willauer said. “Who knows what you can actually do? Now, I can look at an assessment very clearly. ‘Your graphing skills are strong, but you cannot yet write equations.’”
Lepinski said the new system involves more student reflection. They have to clearly identify their strengths and weaknesses, and be more active in how they learn.
“This is a step in the right direction in centering students in the learning, and turning it over to them in providing the feedback that they need and deserve,” Lepinski said.
The grading system may spread to the rest of East and other high schools.