Springfield, IL (WAND) – Across the country, school districts are moving away from the traditional A through F grade scale.

In Springfield, many schools are now using standards-based grading, a system focused on mastery of skills instead of points on homework and tests.

“In our district, you will see numbers like you’ll see a one, two, or three. Some parents try to equate that to a grade, but it’s not really a grade,” said Nicole Nash Moody, assistant superintendent of Teaching, Learning and School Culture.

Every elementary school in District 186 follows standards-based grading. The district said the system aims to give a better depiction of how students are performing academically.

A one on the report card is beginner level, a two shows progress on the skill, and a three is mastery of the material.

For some parents, the grading scale is confusing.

“It still is a mind shift in not getting a grade like this and wanting to translate it into a grade. Yet at the formative elementary years, understanding more about what a child can do and what they know really does help us to prepare them for their further college and career pathway,” Moody said. 

One challenge the district has seen is transitioning the students from standard grading to the A through F style they will encounter from middle school onward. The district’s grading system aligns well with the state’s standardized test, which has four proficiency levels, instead of five.  

The district says they intend to continue with standards-based grading and have committees working on a way transition students to a letter grading system.