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Experts on Camera

Dr. Jerrid Kruse: Standards-based grading

SciLine interviews experts and then makes the video and other resources rapidly available for TV newsrooms to use on air.

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Some school districts (in Maine, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New Mexico, Iowa, and Oregon, to name a few) are shifting toward standards-based grading (SBG), where student learning is reported for each skill and/or concept they learn. The goal is to provide more transparency and detail about student learning. On December 16, 2025, SciLine interviewed Dr. Jerrid Kruse, a professor of education at Drake University.

Declared interests: Dr. Kruse has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the William G. Stowe Foundation, and NASA. He has served on the board of the Association for Science Teacher Educators, a volunteer position.

TV bundle includes:

  • Soundbite (SOT)
  • VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
  • Raw, full-length interview video & log with timecodes (upon request via form below)

These resources are free to use. No attribution to SciLine is required.

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Click for VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)

ANCHOR
WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUR KID’S REPORT CARD… YOU EXPECT TO SEE AN A-THROUGH-F RATING.
BUT MORE SCHOOLS ARE DROPPING LETTER GRADES ALL TOGETHER… CHANGING HOW STUDENT PROGRESS IS MEASURED.

VO
IT’S CALLED STANDARDS-BASED GRADING… OR S-B-G.
INSTEAD OF A LETTER OR PERCENTAGE… S-B-G MEASURES HOW WELL A STUDENT HAS MASTERED SPECIFIC SKILLS.
FOR EXAMPLE… RATHER THAN EARNING AN 83-PERCENT… OR A B IN MATH… A STUDENT MAY GET SEPARATE SCORES FOR ADDITION… SUBTRACTION… AND MULTIPLICATION.
THOSE SCORES ARE OFTEN REPORTED ON A NUMBER SCALE… LIKE ONE-THROUGH-FOUR… TO SHOW LEVELS OF PROFICIENCY.
DOCTOR JERRID KRUSE… A PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION AT DRAKE UNIVERSITY… SAYS IT MAKES IT EASIER TO SEE EXACTLY WHERE A STUDENT IS DOING WELL… AND WHERE THEY NEED EXTRA HELP IN A SUBJECT.

SOT 
Duration: 0:34
Super: Dr. Jerrid Kruse – Professor of Education, Drake University
“We expect standards-based grading to magically fix the teaching and the learning that’s happening in the classroom, but really all it does is it provides a more transparent assessment of to what extent the learning is happening in the classroom. And now it’s up to the teachers and the students to act on that more accurate information. So the student can go home and study the particular things that they’re having trouble with, and the teachers can think about, okay, my class is really struggling with standard number four. Let’s revisit standard number 4. Let’ spend some more time on standard number four. And so, it’s really about what do teachers and students do with that information.”

VO
KRUSE SAYS SOME STUDENTS… PARENTS… AND TEACHERS FIND THE TRANSITION TO S-B-G CONFUSING…  ESPECIALLY IF THEY’RE USED TO LETTER GRADES.
HE SAYS SCHOOLS MAKING THE SWITCH SHOULD HIGHLIGHT IT’S ABOUT TRANSPARENT GRADING AND BETTER COMMUNICATION.

Raw, full-length interview covers:

  • What standards-based grading is and how it differs from traditional grading;
  • How SBG affects students’ overall learning and achievement;
  • The challenges teachers and schools face when transitioning to SBG;
  • Student resistance to SBG;
  • Parent resistance to SBG;
  • SBG in universities, and
  • Tips for educators and parents navigating the shift to standards-based grading.

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