GUIDELINES FOR GOOD PRACTICE IN GRADING - ACADEMIC POLICIES AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE

Instructors may sometimes need to deviate from these guidelines to reasonably accommodate special student circumstances. Such deviations are acceptable so long as they reflect fair and consistent treatment of all students in a section. Instructors unsure of what deviations are appropriate are encouraged to consult with their unit heads. 

• A student's grade should be determined only from the student's performance in the course, as described in the course syllabus. Any modifications of the performance evaluation scheme during the term should be reasonable, consistent with the overall goals of the course, and announced clearly to students. 
• Opportunities for demonstrating performance should be offered equally to all students in a section; no student should be offered opportunities not available or not known to others. 
• Grades should be monotonic: within any pair of students, the student with better performance should not be given a lower grade. 

The Academic Policies and Standards Committee guidelines were supported by the University Academic Senate, and the University Academic Senate recommendation supported by Provost Cimitile, November, 2017

Ungrading: An Alternative to Traditional Assessment

"Ungrading" ("going gradeless" or "de-grading") questions the centrality of grading as an "unchanging, unyielding fact of schooling" (Blum, 2020, p. 2) by de-emphasizing points, percentages, and letter grades. As Davidson & Katopodis (2022) explain, "Rather than a summary of achievement, ungrading redesigns assessment as a formative process, offering feedback with the goal of improvement" (p. 224).

Strommel (2020) offers some alternative approaches to grading that include:

• Grade-Free Zones
• Self-Assessment 
• Process Letters
• Minimal Grading
• Contract Grading
• Portfolios
• Peer-Assessment
• Student-Made Rubrics

Recommended Reading:

Alternative Grading Approaches: Grading for Learning. (n.d.). Columbia CTL: Center for Teaching and Learning. https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/resources/grading-for-learning/

Blum, S. D. (Ed.). (2020). Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead). West Virginia University Press. https://research.ebsco.com/c/6l5vh5/search/results?q=Ungrading%20Why%20Rating%20Students%20Undermines%20Learning%20(and%20What%20to%20Do%20Instead)&autocorrect=y&limiters=FT1%3AY&resetPageNumber=true&searchSegment=all-results

Clark, D., & Talbert, R. (2023). Grading for Growth: A Guide to Alternative Grading Practices that Promote Authentic Learning and Student Engagement in Higher Education. Routledge. https://research.ebsco.com/c/6l5vh5/search/details/jejutgvx7v?q=grading%20for%20growth

Davidson, C. N., & Katopodis, C. (2022). The New College Classroom. Havard University Press. https://research.ebsco.com/c/6l5vh5/search/details/4xx2bup5ef?q=The%20New%20College%20Classroom 

McCloud, L. I. (2023). Keeping Receipts: Thoughts on Ungrading from a Black Woman Professor. Zeal: A Journal for the Liberal Arts, 1(2), 101–105.

Ross, L. (2020, November 12). One Educator’s Rationale for Student Self-Assessments. The Scholarly Teacher. https://www.scholarlyteacher.com/post/one-educator-s-rationale-for-student-self-assessments

Strommel, J. (2023, August 15). Undoing the Grade: Why We Grade, and How to Stop. Hybrid Pedagogy. https://hybridpedagogy.org/undoing-the-grade/

Articles

The effects of grading and teaching practices on students’ perceptions of grading fairness. College Teaching, Gordon, M. E., & Fay, C. H. (2010).

Questioning points and percentages: Standards based grading (SBG) in higher education. Journal of College Teaching, Peters, R., Buckmiller, T, & Kruse, J. (2017).

Teaching More by Grading Less (or Differently) Life Science Education, Schinske, J., Tanner, K. (2014)

• Recommendations for thinking differently about grading, relevant to disciplines outside of the sciences, too

Books

Tools for teaching (2nd ed.). See sections: Grading Practices and Calculating and Assigning Grades.  Davis, B. G., & Ebooks Corporation. (2009). 

 Specifications grading: Restoring rigor, motivating students, and saving faculty time (First ed.). Nilson, L. B., & Stanny, C. J. (2015).

Introduction to rubrics: An assessment tool to save grading time, convey effective feedback, and promote student learning (2nd ed.). Stevens, D. D., & Levi, A. (2013).

Assessing student learning: A common sense guide (2nd ed.). Suskie, L., & Banta, T. W. (2009).

Effective grading: A tool for learning and assessment in college (2nd ed.). Walvoord, B. E. F., Anderson, V. J., & Ebooks Corporation. (2010).

Webpages

 Teaching more by grading less (or differently). Cbe-Life Sciences Education, Schinske, J., & Tanner, K. (2014).

Ten tips for more efficient and effective grading. Faculty Focus blog post, February 2, 2015. Smith, V. & Palenque, S. M.