How Modern Classroom Teachers Grade

One of the most common questions we receive is: How does grading work in a Modern Classroom?

Our standard answer is that as with everything, different Modern Classrooms teachers do this in different ways. Two common approaches are:

• Determine grades based on how much of a unit’s work is mastered: for example, completing all must-do’s earns a grade of 80%, adding should-do’s can increase the grade to 90%, and aspire-to-do’s get a student to 100%.

• Grade students solely on must-do assignments, consider should-do’s as important practice for summative assessments, and encourage students to work on aspire-to-do’s for the simple pleasure of learning.

Even within these general approaches, however we see significant variation: some teachers use “soft zeros” while others don’t, some teachers use standards-based grading while others use traditional A-F scales, etc.

Ultimately, you know your students and your school community best -- you should do what works for them! However, if you’re interested in learning in more detail how some of our Expert Mentors grade:

For a quick overview: See example grading policies from our Expert Mentors.

For an in-depth discussion: Watch our recent webinar on mastery-based grading.

Want to discuss grading with someone on our team? Consider scheduling a 30-minute Expert Consultation ($45) today.