Competency-Based Grading: Fostering Deeper and More Authentic Student Learning

Models of student learning and assessment have evolved dramatically since the systemization of learning in post-Renaissance Europe and its colonies. The recent emergence and challenges of a competency-based learning model have led many school districts in the United States to begin implementing a grading system more closely aligned with this novel model of learning. This capstone first considers the deficiencies in both traditional and standards-based grading systems to ultimately answer the primary question, How can competency-based grading foster deeper and more authentic student learning experiences? A review of the existing literature concludes that the implementation of a competency-based grading system designed and embedded with transferrable, skill-based competency criteria allows for opportunities that challenge students to make use of higher-order thinking skills, which can best be achieved through more authentic learning and assessment experiences. A unit designed for a middle school geography classroom was drafted to exemplify these conclusions.