Metadata
Authors: Bethany Blackstone, Elizabeth Oldmixon ∙ Year: 2019 ∙ DOI: 10.1080/15512169.2018.1447948 ∙ URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15512169.2018.1447948
Abstract
Highlights
“To earn a C in one of our specifications-graded courses, a student is required to complete less work than those earning As and Bs, but the student must do that subset of work well and their work must demonstrate mastery of an important and clearly identifiable body of knowledge.” (Blackstone and Oldmixon, 2019, p. 3)
“In general, Satisfactory should not be viewed as “minimally competent,” but rather as a mark of having achieved the assignment’s learning goals and specifications … . The final letter grade is not an assessment of your intelligence, your abilities, or your value as a person. Rather, the grade reflects what you demonstrated that you learned in the course: no more, no less.” (Blackstone and Oldmixon, 2019, p. 7)
“Even though it requires significant work on the front end, we have found specifications grading to be worth it. We are more confident that the work assigned in our courses targets the skills and knowledge we think are most important and that students’ grades are more valid and reliable indicators of what they have learned in our courses.” (Blackstone and Oldmixon, 2019, p. 12)