Mastery based grading: The new approach in grading student assignments 

Since childhood, students are introduced to the concept of pass and fail. This system lays great importance on one question: what are the minimum marks needed to pass? On the other side, it also lays a lot of importance on what are the highest marks achieved by the class topper. But there is surprisingly low emphasis on what individual students can achieve, in terms of complete understanding of a subject. The result is a widening gap between skill and marks, under performance and difficulty in identifying strengths and weaknesses.  

Mastery based grading is a teaching method that tries to get rid of this traditional but faulty approach to education. In it, the emphasis is not on pass or fail marks, but on achieving maximum mastery over atopic or a subject, in accordance with the student’s capacity.  

What happens in mastery based grading?  
Mastery-based learning is an instructional approach. In it, students need to show a deep and clear level of understanding of a topic before progressing further. For example, the traditional approach to learning mathematical concepts rests on being able to calculate problems correctly. But under mastery based grading, students will have to logically explain why they chose a particular method, and how they used it to arrive at the answer.  

Why is mastery based grading a rising trend? 
Here are some of the reasons behind the increasing popularity of mastery based grading:  

• This approach lays more emphasis to self-paced learning and that is particularly suitable in the remote learning scenario. In this system, students decide which modules they want to attempt first and get multiple chances at proving their mastery in it, as long as they complete the course for the year 
• Skill-based learning also lends itself perfectly to mastery based grading system. The grade indicates the level of skill, rather than mere chapter completion  
• Mastery based grading structure is well suited to STEM subjects and language learning 
• Weak students can take more, while brighter students can move on faster  
• Teachers can give a more accurate impression of the student’s actual progress  

Most importantly, with the world getting more competitive, it’s important for students to leave school with concrete subject knowledge rather than a report card that has high, but misleading marks. Mastery based grading makes it easier for students to recognise which subject might be most suitable for the future career.