Why Standards-Based Grading Mirrors the Real World Better Than Points Based Grading

I was driving home from work the other day, frustrated that the new school that I work in claims to use standards based grading, but in reality is still 100% points based. The only part they are using from the concept of standards based teaching practices is to set the summative scores as being more important. They do this by weighting the scores as 20% for formatives and 80% for summatives.

After 2 months in this school, and coming up to the 2nd grading period, it's frustrating. Trying to reinvent the wheel in a system that's not meant to work.

It dawned on me, as I was driving, why I love Standards Based Grading (SBG) so much. It literally mimics the real world and how we progress through after high school.

Let me give you some examples: We will start with Construction.

If you’ve ever known someone in construction, you know that no one starts out running the job site. Every builder begins as an apprentice, learning by doing, and in so, proving what they can do before moving up.

Learning Like an Apprentice

In construction, an apprentice is a new worker who trains under skilled professionals. They start by learning basic skills like how to handle tools, follow safety procedures, and understand the process of a build.

They don’t earn promotions or raises because they “showed up” for a certain number of days. They move forward when they can actually demonstrate the skills - safely, accurately, and consistently. If they don't consistently show growth or progression - they get kicked off the site and lose their job. They can't accumulate their hours toward becoming a journeyman until they can get hired again, and if they manage to get hired again, well - they better show some initiative and progress!

Apprentices are our Level 1 students. The goal for these students is to develop the foundational skills so they can move up and build on their skills.

Journeyman

After several years of training and hands-on experience, apprentices become journeymen. That means they’ve mastered the foundational skills of their trade and can work semi-independently. They aren't 100% on every skill, but they know the basics and can do what they are told fairly well. They still need a mentor or someone to guide them and are still learning and have questions.

It will take some time to move up the ladder, and many will stay a journeyman for as long as they can. Some don't want the added responsibility of moving up to the next level - and much like our students, are often satisfied being a journeyman for a long time.

Journeymen are our Level 2 students. Keep in mind, you may be assessing more than one skill at a time and some students may progress in one area without progressing in another. This still mimics the real world.

In some cases, students will arrive in your class with some foundational skills already, but the majority of your students will begin at or below a level 1.

Foreman

Our goal is to get students to a level 3 - which I'm relating to becoming a foreman on a construction site. A foreman is not the top boss, but they often work independently or lead a group of journeymen and apprentices. They know what they are doing and can problem solve in the moment to fix issues that arise as they come up.

They can see their growth from apprentice to now and realize they have learned a LOT over the progression, but they still know there is more they can learn.

The majority of our students will stay here at a level 3 - and quite honestly, that's the goal anyways. We teach them how to get to a 3, they move beyond a 3 on their own.

Superintendent

Here's where we move into a level 4. The students who make it to the superintendent level can fend for themselves in their skills but will also be able to lead, teach, and guide others. They see problems before they arise and can solve them quickly and with ease.

More often than not, you will have students who progress to a level 4 on only a few skills and stay a level 3 on nearly every other skill. It is highly unlikely you will ever have a student start off as a 4 in any skill in your class and in fact, if you do have students who are showing a level 4 on skills should likely be moved to another, more difficult or rigorous course - OR - your rubrics are not showing the progression of a skill where students have to show growth and mastery to move up the rank.

How This Relates to Standards-Based Grading

In an SBG classroom, students also move forward based on what they can do, not on how many assignments they’ve turned in or how well they've completed a list of tasks.

When you’re learning something new, you start as an apprentice: unsure, needing guidance, and making mistakes. With feedback and practice, you grow more capable, more confident, and more independent. Eventually, you reach that “journeyman” level where you can perform the skill on your own more often than not, and you can meet the standard with decent consistency.

When you meet the standards with consistency and can work independently and occasionally help guide or mentor others, you've reached the level of Foreman or a Level 3.

And if you go beyond that — leading others, applying the skill in new ways, or creating something original using those skills independently — you’re showing the same kind of readiness that earns promotions in the real world.

Why Points-Based Grading Doesn’t Fit Real Life

Traditional grading often rewards compliance: turning things in on time, earning partial credit, or chasing points to get a certain letter.

But in construction — or any skilled career — no one keeps score that way.

• You can’t just “get points” for showing up with a half-finished wall.
• You either meet the standard, or you go back and fix it until it’s done right.

SBG honors that process.

• It says, “You’re learning, but let’s focus on the skill until you’ve got it.”
• It values growth, feedback, and readiness, not the number of tries it took to get there.

The Real-World Connection

Both apprenticeships and Standards-Based Grading share the same message:
Learning is a journey of practice, feedback, and progress.

You start with the basics, apply what you’ve learned, and move forward when you’re ready.
That’s how construction works.
That’s how the arts and trades work.
And that’s how deep learning works, too.

In the end, students don’t just earn a grade; they earn competence.
And that’s something they’ll carry long after they leave the classroom.

Additional Examples:

Restaurant Industry (Front & Back of House)

Pathway (Front of House): Host → Server → Bartender → Shift Lead / Floor Manager
Pathway (Back of House): Dishwasher → Line Cook → Sous Chef → Head Chef

How Advancement Works:
You don’t walk into a restaurant and start as a manager. You work your way up by proving you can handle each level of responsibility; and sometimes, the goal isn’t even to reach management. Some people master their craft and stay where they feel most confident, and that’s okay too.

In the Front of House, you might start as a host, learning to greet guests, manage reservations, and understand the flow of the restaurant. Once you’ve shown consistency, you might train to become a server, where you need to know the menu, handle orders, and provide customer service under pressure.

After mastering that, you may take on the challenge of becoming a bartender, a position that requires learning recipes, timing, multitasking, and customer engagement. Many servers study and practice off the clock before earning a bartending role. From there, some choose to move into shift lead or floor manager positions, overseeing staff and ensuring smooth service.

In the Back of House, the journey is similar. You might start as a dishwasher or busser, then move to prep cook or line cook as you gain skill and efficiency. Over time, consistent quality and speed could lead to a promotion to sous chef, and eventually head chef, where leadership and creativity come into play.

Graphic Design Industry Example:

The Pathway: Intern → Junior Designer → Senior Designer → Creative Director

How Advancement Works:

• An intern learns design tools and project workflow basics under close supervision.

• A junior designer can complete assigned projects using feedback and guidance.

• A senior designer independently creates high-quality work that meets client needs.

• A creative director leads others, sets the vision, and develops strategy for brand identity.

In this case, your portfolio is your report card. The more projects you work on and develop your voice and your skills, the more you will be able to find work and move up the chain.

Healthcare (Nursing Pathway)

The Pathway: Nursing Student → Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) → Registered Nurse (RN) → Nurse Manager / Nurse Practitioner

How Advancement Works:

• A nursing student learns fundamentals such as patient care, terminology, and basic procedures.

• An LPN applies those skills under supervision and focuses on routine patient support.

• An RN performs complex care, makes independent decisions, and supervises others.

• A nurse manager or NP leads teams, develops care plans, or provides advanced treatment.

Real-World Connection

Your resume becomes your report card. The length of time you stay in a position, how quickly you advance, and the recommendations from supervisors all reflect your mastery of the skills required for that role.

Just like in Standards-Based Grading, it’s not about how many shifts you’ve worked, it’s about what you’ve learned and can do as a result of that experience. Each level shows growth, and advancement happens when you’re ready, not just when enough time has passed.

Closing Thoughts: Why I’ll Keep Fighting for Standards-Based Grading

As I pulled into my driveway that evening, still frustrated from another grading conversation that boiled everything down to percentages and point averages, it hit me. This is exactly why I love Standards-Based Grading.

It isn’t about the math behind the gradebook. It’s about the meaning behind learning.

We say that we’re preparing students for the real world, yet so often our grading systems don’t reflect how the real world actually works. Outside of school, no one earns promotions, pay raises, or opportunities based on the number of points they’ve collected. People move up when they have demonstrated skill, growth, and reliability.

Every industry I’ve ever studied or worked with, including construction, hospitality, design, and healthcare, follows the same pattern. You start as a beginner. You learn through feedback and repetition. You grow, improve, and eventually master your craft.

That isn’t a point system. That is progression. That is learning. That is what Standards-Based Grading represents.

Even in a system that still measures learning through percentages and weighted averages, I will keep teaching like an SBG teacher. I will keep giving my students feedback that matters, using language that describes their growth, and giving them chances to improve until they can truly demonstrate what they know and can do.

At the end of the day, I don’t want my students to leave my class knowing how to earn points. I want them to leave knowing how to build proficiency, show growth, and take pride in what they can do.

That is what the real world rewards. That is what authentic learning looks like. And that is why I will continue to advocate for Standards-Based Grading, even when the system around me is not quite ready for it yet.

If you are a teacher who feels the same frustration, I encourage you to start small. Identify one standard or one unit where you can shift your focus from collecting points to measuring skill. Give students opportunities to revise, reflect, and show what they have learned instead of just how much they have turned in.

Change does not happen overnight, but every time we center learning over grading, we move one step closer to a system that actually mirrors the real world. Our students deserve that.

Do you want help with building a standards based grading course? I highly recommend buying this book. And if you still want help, reach out to me on social media - I might be looking to host a few workshops in 2026 and beyond on this specific topic.

Send me a message to let me know you're interested!