From Fragmented to Aligned: A Standards-Based Grading Continuum in Teacher Preparation

Standards-based grading (SBG) has gained traction across PK–12 education as a more transparent and mastery-oriented approach to assessing student learning. However, considerably less is known about how undergraduate teacher education programs (TEPs) prepare pre-service teachers to enter schools where SBG is practiced. This qualitative multiple-case study examined how three undergraduate TEPs in a Midwestern state integrated instruction on grading and assessment into their curricula. Drawing on interviews with teacher education faculty and analysis of programmatic documents, cross-case analysis revealed patterned variation in how grading instruction was embedded across coursework and field experiences. From these findings, this study inductively developed a Continuum of Grading Approach Integration, which illustrates three approaches to teacher preparation: fragmented passive exposure, emerging integration, and an aligned programmatic approach. The continuum serves as a heuristic for understanding how TEPs vary in their support of candidates’ readiness to engage in SBG practices that are increasingly present in PK–12 schools. Implications are discussed for teacher education faculty, program leaders, and educational leadership seeking to align teacher preparation with evolving grading reforms.