Some schools roll out new grading scheme

Published 10:24 am Friday, March 29, 2013

ST. PAUL — Some Minnesota schools are moving toward a new grading system that swaps F’s and A’s for 1’s and 4’s.

Several districts are already piloting standards-based grading, which focuses on whether a student has mastered material and makes grading more consistent from teacher to teacher. It generally grades students on a 1-to-4 scale: from “does not meet” to “exceeds” standards.

That elementary schools in the Anoka-Hennepin district will switch to the new system this fall, as will middle schools in St. Paul in 2014. Minneapolis schools are considering it.

Parents in Osseo, where teachers have used standards-based grading for more than a year, say it has hurt hard-working students by making it harder to get the equivalent of an A but easier to pass a course.