Resources
Resources
What Does the Research Say?
What the Research Shows
100+ Years of Grading Research
Researchers found that traditional grades commonly combine achievement and behaviors, making it difficult for parents to know what students have actually learned.
SBG improves the quality, accuracy, and usefulness of grades by aligning with clear learning targets, formative assessments, and meaningful feedback.
Key Takeaway:
Traditional grades often measure more than academic learning, failing to communicate what a student actually knows.
Traditional Grades Combine Academics & Behaviors
A student's final letter grade frequently combines:
- Academic Achievement
- Non-Academic Behaviors:
- Homework Completion & Extra Credit
- Behavior & Effort
- Participation & Attendance
In Standards-Based systems, these learning behaviors are reported separately, providing specific information to families on exactly how their student is progressing in these important skill sets.
Clearer Insights for Families
SBG separates academic achievement from work habits and behavior.
Parents receive clearer, specific feedback on:
- Strengths
- Misconceptions
- Next Learning Steps
...instead of one vague, overall average.
The Shift in Focus
Traditional Grading
Simply tells you how your child performed on tasks.
Standards-Based Grading
Clearly communicates what your child has actually learned.
Research Insights
Students learn more when they know exactly what success looks like.
Research consistently finds students perform better when teachers clearly communicate:
- Learning Targets
- Success Criteria
- Progress Toward Mastery
...rather than only assigning and averaging points.
Parent Perspective
Focusing on skills over scores.
Students improve faster when they know exactly what skill they need to practice—not simply that they earned a 74%.
Targeted Skill Practice
Clearly shows families where the child is progressing and what specific actions to take next.
Vague Percentages
Provides no clear diagnostic feedback about which standards need reinforcement
The Research Foundation
John Hattie analyzed over 1,800 meta-analyses involving more than 300 million students.
This represents the largest, most robust body of educational research on student achievement ever conducted.
Feedback has one of the largest impacts on learning.
These core findings serve as the foundation of SBG.
Key Impact Measures
Hattie measured practices by "Effect Size" (where 0.40+ represents a significant, high-yield impact):
Teacher Clarity (clear learning targets)
Effect Size ≈ 0.75
Effective Feedback
Effect Size ≈ 0.48
Formative Evaluation
Effect Size ≈ 0.48
The Fact Is...
Changing the report card alone does not improve learning.
A new reporting tool is only effective if it is supported by a deeper shift in grading and feedback practices.
True progress requires aligning daily classroom practices with meaningful standards.
What Actually Drives Success
Learning improves significantly when grading:
- Communicates Learning Clearly
- Provides Meaningful Feedback
- Separates Academics from Behaviors
- Allows Learning from Mistakes
These practices better equip students, teachers, and families to support growth.
