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Curriculum & Instruction » Grading for Equity

Grading for Equity

A Collaborative Approach to Standards Based Grading Using Equitable Practices

As a District we are committed to providing the highest quality educational experience for all of our students, and that includes reviewing and updating our grading policies. While instructional practices and strategies have evolved and changed over time, traditional grading practices have remained the same over the last 100 years. We’ve come to understand that these past grading practices do not accurately reflect student learning, are subject to implicit bias, and are not motivational for all students. 

Our ultimate goal is to create a system that reflects a student's mastery of the standards and eliminates areas where bias can impact grading accuracy. Equitable grading is a critical component in closing opportunity gaps and reinforces many of the priorities stated in our strategic directions, including Our Mission that “We work together to provide safe, challenging, innovative, and culturally responsive learning environments to ensure that all our students feel respected and supported to achieve their unique academic potential and explore their individual talents.” We look forward to taking this collaborative journey with you.

We Want Our Grading to Be More…

Accurate = Grades use calculations that are mathematically sound, easy to understand, and correctly describe a student’s level of academic performance.

Motivational = Grades motivate students to achieve academic success, support a growth mindset, and give students multiple opportunities to show what they know.
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Bias Resistant = Grades give all students an opportunity to succeed by counteracting institutional biases and limiting the impact of our subjective and implicit biases.

The Work So Far

Beginning in 2020-21, CVUSD started the transition to standards based grading using equitable practices. Some of our work over the years has included:

  • A Grassroots High School Teacher Piloting Group
  • A Book Study on Equitable Grading Practices
  • Ongoing Professional Learning Opportunities with Joe Feldman (PD Days, after school)
  • Online Professional Learning Modules (over 350 Educators completed)
  • Educators reading Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms
  • Updating Board Policy & Administrative Regulation (2019)
  • Every Site Discussing and Trying Out Varied Practices
 
As we increase our implementation of equitable practices into our grading work and policies, we wanted to share some of the standards based grading practices we are using now and the timeline for the continued rollout. Currently, all teachers are providing opportunities for students to redo and retake assessments and assignments. As outlined in current board policy, students in K through 12th grades are being afforded the opportunity for redos and retakes in order to learn from their mistakes and increase their understanding of the material through reteaching and Response to Intervention support.  We continue to refine our redo and retake practices/policies so that there is consistency and continuity among the grades/departments and throughout the school system. Additionally, as also outlined in our current board policy, we continue to incorporate practices that center knowledge and remove nonacademic factors from grading (including behavior, punctuality, effort, work habits, and classroom participation).

During the 2024-25 school year, CVUSD we are focusing on the proportional distribution of grading scales (e.g. 50%-100%, 0-4) so a student’s performance is accurately and mathematically represented in their grades. We are also continuing to incorporate practices that center knowledge, remove nonacademic factors from grading, and are based on valid evidence of a student’s mastery of the content. The 2025-26 school year will be a continued focus on proportional grading scales as well as the onboarding of new staff and ensuring systemization of our district-wide practices.

Next Steps
During this time, we will also be working with our teacher and school communities to review the latest research, data, and best practices through educational modules, book studies, action research, continued committee work, and community presentations. These forums will allow us to learn more, deepen our understanding, collaborate, ask questions, and, most importantly - receive feedback to ensure we are setting our students up for long-term success. 

Traditional Grading Practices

  • Behavior is not separated from academic progress.Grades include a mix of factors such as timeliness, completion of class and homework assignments, participation, effort, creativity, and bringing materials to class, along with assessments of understanding. All of these factors are combined into one letter grade, and progress by standard is not communicated.

  • Criteria for success might not be provided, and the grading is one-sided (teacher-to-student with no discussion).

  • There are 60 degrees of failure in a 100-point range. One zero significantly drops the grade without redemption opportunities.

  • Grades include every score, regardless of when collected or the purpose of the assignment. Final grades record the average of all of these assignments, including early attempts at learning and natural mistake-making practice.

  • There is no incentive to keep learning, as retaking an assessment is prohibited.

Equitable Grading Practices

  • Transition to standards-based grading with clear success criteria to more clearly communicate academic progress.

  • Separate academic grades from behavioral assessments to ensure fair evaluation of student knowledge.

  • Even grade intervals mitigate the mathematical inaccuracies caused by a zero.  A missed assessment will still impact the grade significantly, but not disproportionately.

  • Prioritize summative assessments over formative assessments to better reflect final student learning and encourage academic risk-taking and the natural process of mistakes during the learning process.

  • Students are encouraged to continue learning and then reassess a standard to show their progress.  Assessments include multiple means of demonstrating understanding and skill.
 
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