Systems and scoring have a powerful influence on school culture, student motivation and instructional practices. Traditional letter grades have long been the status quo — but are they truly serving out students? Forward-thinking schools are transitioning from grades that merely sort and rank to assessments that guide instruction, promote growth, and cater to the whole learner.
Reimagining report cards to prioritize development and learning over static letter grades is a strategic move that can transform how your school supports student success. But what alternative grading methods are emerging as viable alternatives?
Standards-Based Grading (SBG)
SBG evaluates student progress on specific, clearly defined learning standards instead of averaging scores. This approach highlights what students can do, where they’re headed, and how to get there — providing a road map for both teachers and families.
Why Principals Should Care:
- Builds a growth culture: SBG promotes the idea that all students can achieve at high levels with effort and support. This aligns with equity-focused leadership and reduces fixed-mindset language in classrooms.
- Supports instructional leadership: By anchoring assessments to standards, you can drive aligned, data-informed instruction and professional development.
- Improves home-school communication: Parents gain a clearer understanding of their child’s learning journey, which increases trust in your school’s academic approach.
Leadership in Action
At West Shore School District, SBG is used in K–4 to align report cards with Pennsylvania’s academic standards. This shift, also adopted by the Hawthorne School District in New Jersey, encourages meaningful conversations among teachers, students, and families about progress, not just performance. As a principal, supporting this shift means investing in teacher training, communication tools, and a shared vision for assessment.
Narrative Feedback
Narrative feedback provides descriptive, individualized comments on student learning — offering in-depth context around progress, effort, character, and engagement.
Why Principals Should Care:
- Fosters whole-child development: This method supports social emotional learning (SEL) goals by valuing student identity, relationships, and emotional growth alongside academics.
- Promotes reflective practice: Encouraging teachers to write narratives supports thoughtful, asset-based observation and can inform collaborative professional learning community (PLC) discussions.
- Strengthens school culture: Families and students feel seen, valued, and supported — key ingredients for long-term school satisfaction.
Leadership in Action:
At South City Community School, narrative report cards are central to their Charlotte Mason-inspired whole-child philosophy. As a leader, you can encourage pilot programs or grade-level teams to explore narrative elements, especially for early learners or students with IEPs.
Portfolio Assessments
Portfolios, a part of SBG, allow students to collect and reflect on their work across time, demonstrating mastery, creativity, and personal growth. Digital or physical, these curated collections encourage ownership of learning.
Why Principals Should Care:
- Promotes student voice and agency: Portfolios reinforce personalized learning goals and support deeper engagement.
- Provides authentic data: They give teachers and administrators more comprehensive, qualitative insight into student achievement than standardized tests alone.
- Aligns with 21st-century skills: Reflection, communication, and metacognition are nurtured — skills necessary for success beyond K–12.
Leadership in Action:
The Core Collaborative advocates for growth portfolios as tools for equity and deeper learning. Schools like Ekya PDI use them to celebrate learning as a journey. As a principal, you can support portfolio implementation through PD, showcase events, and digital tools that streamline access for families.
Leading the Shift from Grades to Growth
Reimagining report cards is both a classroom initiative and a strategic leadership opportunity. As a principal, you are uniquely positioned to:
- Champion the vision: Make growth-oriented assessment part of your school’s mission and values.
- Support staff: Offer professional development, collaborative planning time, and models of success.
- Engage families: Communicate the “why” behind the change to build trust and enthusiasm.
- Measure impact: Use new reporting tools to inform MTSS strategies, instructional coaching, and schoolwide improvement plans.
