Mastery Grading

For teachers

Why Mastery Grading?

Traditional points-based grading turns every assignment into a negotiation over partial credit. Mastery grading (also called specifications grading) replaces that with a simple binary: each specification is either Satisfactory (S) or Not Yet (NY). Students who earn NY can revise and resubmit — the emphasis shifts from accumulating points to demonstrating competence.

Specifications

A specification (or "spec") is a single skill or learning objective you want students to demonstrate. Examples might be "Write a correct recursive function," "Explain Big-O notation in plain language," or "Pass all test cases for the linked-list assignment." Each spec is graded S or NY — there is no partial credit, no 7-out-of-10. This makes grading faster and feedback clearer.

You define your specs at the course level. Each assignment can be linked to one or more specs, and when you grade the assignment you mark each linked spec as S or NY for that student.

Grade Bundles

Specs alone do not produce a letter grade. That is where grade bundles come in. A bundle maps a combination of satisfied specs to a letter grade. For example:

  • A: Complete all 15 specs
  • B: Complete any 12 of 15 specs
  • C: Complete any 9 of 15 specs

Bundles are flat — there is no weighted averaging or point totals. Students can see exactly which bundle they are targeting and which specs they still need. This transparency reduces grade anxiety and "what do I need on the final?" emails.

How It Differs from Points-Based Grading

In a points system, a student who scores 70% on five assignments and 100% on three might end up with the same grade as someone with the inverse pattern. Points obscure which skills a student actually has. With mastery grading, you know exactly which competencies each student has demonstrated because every spec maps to a concrete skill.

Setting It Up in Quizzibility

In your course settings, switch the grading mode to Mastery. Define your specs (name + description), then create your bundles. When you create assignments, link them to the relevant specs. The gradebook automatically tracks each student's spec completion and shows which bundle they currently qualify for.

Mastery grading works especially well with Quizzibility's revision workflows — students submit, get clear S/NY feedback, and resubmit until they demonstrate competence.

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