gradingfrom

Gradingfrom is a term used in educational assessment to describe a method of deriving final grades by mapping raw scores to a target scale using a reference anchor. The anchor can take the form of a fixed standard, such as a rubric defining what constitutes each grade, or a distribution derived from prior cohorts, external benchmarks, or institutional policies.

In criterion-referenced gradingfrom, scores are transformed to align with a predefined rubric or standard, ensuring that a given performance level corresponds to a consistent grade across contexts. In norm-referenced gradingfrom, a score is transformed relative to the cohort distribution, often through linear rescaling, z-score conversion, or percentile banding, so that the grade reflects relative performance within the group. Some implementations combine both approaches, applying a fixed standard for essential competencies while preserving some relative differentiation for higher tiers.

Implementation typically requires clear documentation, an auditable transformation rule, and alignment with institutional policies. These methods aim to address variability in assessment difficulty, improve comparability across instructors, or meet external standards while maintaining a transparent grading process.

Applications and considerations include improving fairness across courses with different assessments, adjusting for test difficulty fluctuations, and facilitating cross-institution comparisons. Critics warn that anchor selection can influence outcomes independent of learning, that transformation choices may obscure true achievement gaps, and that small sample sizes can undermine stability of the grade distribution. Adequate communication with students about how scores are transformed is essential for credibility and legitimacy.

Example: a course adopts a norm-referenced gradingfrom where the top 15% receive an A, the next 25% a B, and so on, with adjustments allowed for essential competencies under a criterion-based overlay. See also grading, curved grading, and norm-referenced assessment.