Robert J. Marzano is a researcher in education.  He provides an explanation as to why Standards-Based Grading is a better way to grade than the traditional grading system:

"In the traditional system, students acquire points for various activities, assignments, and behaviors, which accrue throughout a grading period. The teacher adds up the points and assigns a letter grade.

A variation on this theme is to keep track of percentage scores across various categories of performance and behavior and then translate the average percentage score into a letter grade or simply report the average percentage score (for example, 62.9 percent).

These practices provide little useful information about a specific student. A student might have received an overall or "omnibus" letter grade of B, not because he had a solid grasp of the target content, but because he was exceptionally well behaved in class, participated in all discussions, and turned in all assignments on time. Likewise, a student may have received a percentage score of 62.9, not because she displayed significant gaps in understanding regarding the target content, but because she received a zero for tardiness on assignments or for disruptive behavior. In addition to this lack of specificity, one teacher's criteria for assigning a letter grade of A, for example, might be equivalent to another teacher's criteria for assigning a letter grade of B, or even lower.

In an effort to cure the ills of current grading and reporting systems, many schools and districts across the United States have attempted to implement a standards-based system"(Grades That Show What Students Know).

Here at Salem Junior High, we wanted all teachers and stakeholders to be clear on what students needed to learn and what it looked like to be proficient in what they're learning.  Standards-based grading helps all of us keep better track of what students know and understand.

To watch videos about Standards-Based Grading and why we use it at Salem Junior, you can find them below:

Student-Friendly Version