Resumen de A Bridge to Specifications Grading in Second Semester General Chemistry
Sydney L. Noell, Melissa Rios Buza, Elijah B. Roth, Jennifer L. Young, Michael J. Drummond
The development of equitable grading systems that provide students with effective feedback and provide instructors with an efficient means of assessment are of deep interest to chemical educators. A recent trend in chemical education, and STEM education more broadly, has been the use of specifications, or specs, grading that emphasizes mastery of material through recursive methods and standards-based grading. Students must meet certain standards in multiple specifications to earn a particular letter grade, as opposed to more traditional points-based grading systems. However, changing from a points-based grading system to specs grading requires significant effort by the instructor, especially in courses with an integrated lab component. In this manuscript we describe the development of a hybrid-specs grading system implemented in our second semester general chemistry course over the 2021–22 academic year. We describe the development of the hybrid-specs grading system, student performance as measured by shifts in letter grade distributions and final exam scores, and student perceptions of the new grading system. Notes for practitioners on the implementation of the grading system are in the Supporting Information. Finally, we also discuss improvements of the system for implementation in future courses.
