October 2024
Anisah Nu’man, Spelman College
Naiomi Cameron, Spelman College
Anne Marie Marshall, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Nikira Walter, Spelman College
Kyndal Witherspoon, Spelman College
“With the standard-based grading, this course helped me grow academically by keeping me tenacious. At the beginning of this course, I was getting extremely frustrated; I wasn’t gaining proficiency on any of the core objectives and felt behind. Midterms were a very rough patch for me, but that was the wake-up I needed. After that, I took the time and resources I needed to do well in this class and have been gaining proficiencies ever since. After this course, I will be approaching math as something I can conquer rather than letting it conquer me.” (Student course reflection)
These are the words from an end-of-course reflection by a student enrolled in a section of pre-calculus in the Keeping the STEM Gate Open (KSTEM-GO) project. This NSF-funded project is designed to boost students’ confidence in mathematics, reduce mathematics anxiety, and strengthen their connection with a math identity. In focus are Black women, a group significantly underrepresented in STEM fields.
Motivation behind KSTEM-GO: During the Spring 2020 semester, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools shut down and educators were faced with transitioning their in-person classes to online classes within a week’s notice. How long virtual teaching would last was unclear, but it was clear that during this time students were going to need additional support. In June 2020, Dr. Nu’Man attended a virtual Mastery Grading Conference where she first learned about alternative grading. After attending the conference, Dr. Nu’Man started to incorporate aspects of alternative grading in her own classes and began working with Dr. Marshall on creating the KSTEM-GO project. The goal being to investigate any effects standards-based grading can have on Black female students’ achievement, retention, and self-efficacy within a precalculus math course.
Across the US more students are not prepared for college mathematics. This disproportionately impacts underrepresented groups and puts them at a disadvantage when entering college having to take developmental mathematics courses during their first years of college. Developmental courses, such as precalculus, have come to serve as gatekeepers to STEM fields and only contribute to the lack or representation of women and people of color within STEM. One way to approach this problem is to address the manner in which we grade in these developmental courses. This study will explore the effects SBG has on Black female students’ academic achievement, retention, and agency within a developmental precalculus course sequence. Spelman College is in the advantageous position to execute such a project since it is one of only two historically Black colleges for women. This research is an effort to find ways to support and improve retention of students who have typically been left behind in mathematics.
The STEM Challenge: Disparities in mathematics education often lead to underrepresented students being funneled into developmental math courses, acting as gatekeepers to future STEM opportunities. Spelman College is at the forefront of addressing this challenge, with a keen eye on a Precalculus I course as a catalyst for change.
In Bayer’s Facts of Science Education XV, 84% of science department chairs agreed that boosting diversity in STEM is crucial (Bayer, 2012). Courses designed to be tough and weed out students undeniably harm diversity efforts. A student’s experience in introductory math and science courses, including the interaction and connection with professors, influences whether they stick with a STEM major. Underrepresented students often end up in intro or developmental math courses, with 60.43% and 42% of Black and Hispanic students, compared to 8.5% of White students (Atuahene and Russell, 2016). Those in developmental courses face a longer path to completing math requirements, and only 30% pass all courses at two-year colleges. Students needing remediation are less likely to finish their degree (Benken, Ramirez, Li, & Wetendorf, 2015).
Early math success is further complicated due to math anxiety from past experiences and a lack of opportunities to succeed. Students denied quality math learning opportunities often lack positive math identities and self-efficacy. Rosin (2012) highlights that early success in math sets students on a path to overall college success. Conversely, failure may discourage students from completing their studies. We propose a standards-based grading model as a way to give students ‘early momentum’ for success in math classes and college.
The KSTEM-GO Approach: The KSTEM-GO project zeroes in on a key factor: assessment practices in post-secondary mathematics courses. Traditional points-based grading (PBG) systems are being compared with a more student-centric Standards-Based Grading (SBG) approach. This shift aims to unravel the impact on Black female students’ academic achievement, retention in subsequent courses, and the development of their mathematical identity and agency.
Addressing issues of equity in mathematics and STEM must include rethinking the way we approach assessment and grading. Today, most schools use letter grades to evaluate student performance. As Nilson explains it, the traditional PBG system and subsequent partial-credit point system “turns grades- and really all college work–into a game, the object of which is to maximize the number of points toward one’s grade with the lowest possible investment of time” (Nilson, 2014, p. 7). SBG is a way to address equity issues within mathematics. In a comparative study, Zimmerman found that students learning under a SBG model with lower math placement test scores on average had a final grade higher than students learning under a PBG model. These results appear to show that SBG may provide additional benefits for underprepared students who enter mathematics sequences.
How does Standards-Based Grading (SBG) work?
In an SBG system, students are provided with a clear list of learning objectives or standards and/or assignments with clear specifications for success, and final grades are directly based on the number of objectives for which students demonstrate full proficiency and/or the number of assignments that students successfully complete according to the specifications. Students are given multiple opportunities to attempt and reattempt mastering learning objectives and to revise and resubmit assignments, with no penalty for unsuccessful attempts. In addition, all assessments and assignments are graded on a Proficient/Not Yet Proficient or Complete/Not Yet Complete scale, with no use of partial credit. Transforming a course from implementing PBG to SBG requires a major shift. The shift impacts both technical aspects of a course (course objectives, syllabi and materials preparation, course data management, assessment tools, etc.) and pedagogical considerations (instructional decisions, philosophical approaches to assessment, student involvement, and self-efficacy, etc.). Key aspects of SBG include but are not limited to the following: one grade is given per learning standard, standards are proficiency-based rather than percentage-based, and an emphasis is made on the most recent assessment when grading (O’Connor, 2002).
By recognizing the positive and essential role of mistakes in the learning process and by allowing students to attempt and reattempt objectives at their own pace, a SBG system creates an environment in which the goal is that all students learn the content of the course, not just those able to learn on a uniform timeline. Gaining proficiency in course objectives does not require that every student reach the same level at the same time, only that all students eventually reach a level of proficiency (Wormeli, 2011). Moreover, as Matt Townsley posits, “in standards-based grading, teachers have a mastery mindset. In other words, classroom structures and routines are set up to maximize student learning, regardless of when they learn it” (Standards-based Grading: BIG Shift #2 – A Mastery Mindset). In addition, the focus is shifted towards learning as opposed to grades, leading to an increase in intrinsic motivation. In an ideal situation, a grading system would emphasize learning over grades and inspire students to learn. SBG achieves this goal as it emphasizes learning and outcome achievements over grades, which in turns motivates students to continue to want to learn. Furthermore, Nilson highlights that a SBG model helps cultivate agency within the classroom since it gives students choice and control between assignments and for their final grade itself (Nilson, 2015).
The KSTEM-GO project isn’t just about revising grading systems; it’s an opportunity for faculty development and curricular assessment. The training provided will empower faculty with evidence-based pedagogical strategies that can have a lasting impact not only on the Math 115 course but also on the wider curriculum. Positive outcomes could include improved self-efficacy, higher passing rates, and increased retention in STEM.
The KSTEM-GO Research Questions:
- How do Black women attending a liberal arts single gender HBCU enrolled in precalculus courses employing standards-based grading perform on course assessments and a common placement exam compared to similar students enrolled in precalculus courses employing points-based grading at the same institution?
- In what ways does a precalculus course employing standards-based grading affect student retention in subsequent mathematics courses and retention in STEM majors compared to previous data of Spelman students enrolled in the same precalculus sequence employing points-based grading?
- In what ways does a precalculus course employing standards-based grading impact students’ mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics anxiety? What do students learn about the relationship between their mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics identity and agency in a SBG precalculus course?
KSTEM-GO Impact: To date, the KSTEM-GO project has implemented 2 sections of MATH115 employing standards-based grading. Data collection has included all course assignments and assessments as well as pre- and post- surveys, instructor reflections, and student interviews. Initial results from data analysis indicate that the SBG approach was successful in supporting students’ performance, anxiety, and mathematical identity.
“This math course has contributed to my academic growth by allowing me to learn content through repetition and decreasing my anxiety going into exams. I often struggle with time during tests, and at the beginning of the year, after completing a rigorous summer program based on mathematics, I worried about needing more academic accommodations to complete the course. After learning this way, I grasped concepts without feeling like I could not keep up because of how much the course catered to different learning styles. Additionally, the standard-based grading allowed me to practice concepts on tests without the pressure of getting questions wrong and only seeing them again at the time.” (Student course reflection)
“Overall, I think this math course has given me confidence, made me stay curious, and constantly check over my work. I have always loved math but sometimes I am not confident because I get testing anxiety, but with this course being set up with proficient and not proficient I was able to retry to gain proficiency. This allowed me to have less testing anxiety. With that being said this course definitely challenged me to study and go to office hours because I wanted to gain proficiency and I didn’t want to get anything wrong. This course helped me stay curious because there was always something new to learn every class and the synthesis assignments definitely tested my patients. I will definitely go into calculus with more confidence. After gaining proficiency in all topics I feel prepared for the next level of math.” (Student course reflection)
Is SBG worth it?
We have found SBG to be a worthwhile effort, based on our experience with this precalculus course. At first, it was not clear whether the initial work required to restructure the course would pay off in the end. But as the process of restructuring the course unfolded, there were so many opportunities to (re)think and reflect more deeply about what we ask of students in their learning and why. We found this reflection extremely valuable and believe it will continue to inform and positively impact our teaching for many years to come. Ultimately, as compared to PBG, SBG provided more opportunities for our students to learn, succeed and grow in their relationship with mathematics, and now we have a structure that we can continue to build upon for other courses. It is important to note that SBG is not a substitute for good teaching or thoughtful pedagogy. It can however be one effective tool (among many others) for those who are committed to inclusive excellence in teaching.
The KSTEM-GO Timeline:
2022-2023: SBG Senior Personnel Training, Math 115 Precalculus Course Conversion
Fall 2024: Taught Math 115 Precalculus Employing the SBG Model, Mentoring/Training of Undergraduate Student Researchers, Data Collection
Spring 2024: Data analysis
Looking ahead: SBG Faculty Workshop and Toolkit Development
The KSTEM-GO Team:
Dr. Anisah Nu’Man serves as the Principal Investigator of the KSTEM-GO project. She is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Spelman College.
Dr. Naiomi Cameron serves as a Co-PI on the KSTEM-GO project. Dr. Cameron is a Professor of Mathematics and serves as Chair of the Mathematics Department at Spelman College.
Dr. Anne Marie Marshall, KSTEM-GO Co-PI, serves as the lead researcher on the project. Dr. Marshall is a research and evaluation team leader in the Center for Mathematics and Science Education Research at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee.
Dr. Rachel Weir is a Professor of Mathematics and Department Chair at Allegheny College. Dr. Weir serves as the Standards-Based Grading consultant on the project.
K-STEM GO Takeaway: KSTEM-GO goes beyond the classroom, aiming to broaden access to and knowledge of SBG at the college level. With potential impacts on 50 students at Spelman and the professional development of two faculty members, this project aligns with the broader goal of supporting and retaining Black women in STEM. Findings will be shared through blog posts, webinars, SBG resources, peer-reviewed journals, and presentations at regional and national conferences. The KSTEM-GO project is not just a course redesign; it’s a transformative step towards creating an inclusive and empowering environment for Black women in STEM. Stay tuned for updates as we embark on this journey to break barriers, change perspectives, and keep the STEM gate wide open. We are hopeful that SBG can make an impact on students believing they belong in mathematics:
“Before this course, I believed I was “not” a math person or that I was “horrible” at math, so I would shy away from math as a whole. This class has made me realize that as long as I approach it a certain way, keep up with my work, and get help when needed I can be good at math.” (Student course reflection)
Want to Learn More?
If you are interested in learning more about the KSTEM-GO project and how to implement SBG into your own math courses, consider attending our minicourse scheduled to take place at the MAA MathFest in August 2024. The goal of the minicourse is to equip faculty with concrete tools and resources for incorporating alternative grading into a college-level mathematics course. Alternative grading such as SBG aligns well with evidence-based and inclusive teaching practices. Through hands-on activities, participants will develop the foundational skills needed to implement one or both of these methods in an existing course. Following the workshop, participants will have access to additional resources that build on the minicourse content and support their ongoing efforts to utilize alternative grading methods.
Further reading about Standards-Based Grading can be found here:
- All Things Standards-Based Grading
- Beatty, I. (2013). Standards-based grading in introductory university physics. Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 13(2), 1-22.
- Buckmiller, T., Peters, R., & Kruse, J. (2017). Questioning Points and Percentages: Standards-Based Grading (SBG) in Higher Education, College Teaching, 65:4, 151-157, DOI: 10.1080/87567555.2017.1302919