This resource was adapted by the CARE Network. It can be used with all ages (including adults!) Additional sources linked below.
The traditional 0-100 scale divides 100 points into five unequal chunks: One chunk, an A is 11 points, three chunks (B, C, D) each include 10 points and one – the F – covers 60 points. For students in the B range, an increase of 10 points will take them to the next level. For students in the F range, it could take as much as a 60 point increase to reach a D. In addition to increasing the likelihood that an assigned grade is an F, the 0-100 scale also means that a few failing grades can dominate over a larger number of passing grades. This is especially true when we assign zeros for missing work. Consider this “student”:
| Percentage score | Equivalent Letter Grade | |
| Assignment #1 | 85% | B |
| Assignment #2 | 85% | B |
| Assignment #3 | 0% (missing) | F |
| Average | 85+85+0= 170
170 / 3 = 56.6% (F) |
F?? |
Does an overall grade of an F make sense for this student?
Minimum Grading:
We can correct the 0-100 scale’s disproportionality by redefining the chunks and establishing 50 as the minimum grade. An extensive study of seven years of grades assigned to nearly 11,000 students demonstrated that minimum grading did not lead to grade inflation or widespread social promotion (Carifio & Carey, 2013).
The 0-4 scale:
| Traditional grading system | Alternative 0-4 scale | Effective percentages | |
| Letter | Percentage | ||
| A | 90-100 | 4 | 80-100% |
| B | 80-89% | 3 | 60-79% |
| C | 70-79% | 2 | 40-59% |
| D | 60-69% | 1 | 20-39% |
| F | 0-59% | 0 | 0-19% |
A 0-4 scale correlates single digits with a letter grade. Compared to the 0-100 scale, it:
Consider how minimum grading and the 0-4 scale impacts our earlier student:
| Percentage score | Minimum grading score | 0-4 score | |
| Assignment #1 | 85% | 85% | 3 (B) |
| Assignment #2 | 85% | 85% | 3 (B) |
| Assignment #3 | 0% | 50% | 0 (F) |
| Average | 56.5% (F) | 73.3% (C) | 2 (C) |
Some setup at the beginning of the year, including communicating to parents and students.
Grading narrative to share with parents and students – add it to your syllabus and send a letter home to parents/families or incorporate it into parent-teachers conferences. Here is an example.
Option 1: Minimum grading
We can correct the 0-100 scale’s disproportionality by redefining the chunks and establishing 50 as the minimum grade.
| Minimum Grade | Grading scale |
| 90-100 | A |
| 80-89 | B |
| 70-79 | C |
| 60-69 | D |
| 50-59 | F |
Option 2: 0-4 scale
Establish a 0-4 grading scale that correlates with letter grades in the following way:
| 0-4 scale | Letter grade |
| 4 | A |
| 3 | B |
| 2 | C |
| 1 | D |
| 0 | F |
Assign grades according to this scale.
Whole class – disaggregated demographically:
Focus students:
Mid-way through a grading period, look through your gradebook and take note of:
What do you notice? What do you wonder? What might you need to change?
Do this reflection again at the end of a grading period and see what you notice.
Create clear rubrics for each assignment that align with grading scales. Share these rubrics with students, or co-create them with students for increased transparency and buy-in. Learn more about co-creating rubrics with 8th grade students here.
Tags:
