PANEL/ROUNDTABLE: Variations on standards-based grading

Abstract

Traditional grading structures are susceptible to problems with cheating, inequity, and a focus on procedural rather than conceptual problem-solving. Standards-based grading (also known as mastery grading) provides a way to focus on the concepts and methods at the core of a course, and has seen a surge of interest in mathematics and other STEM fields.

This session will present several approaches to implementing standards-based grading in STEM, based on recent experience by faculty at the mathematics department. We will focus both on small-class and large-class approaches, as well as both theoretical and computational courses.

We will discuss pre-course planning, implementation, and outcomes, as well as interactions with other teaching approaches such as active learning and online teaching.

Participants will take away both benefits and challenges of implementation, including the time commitment involved in standards-based grading. The panel will include time for a discussion of the methods and their implementation across STEM disciplines.