Lesson 5 – Grading Systems and DepEd’s Guidelines

After paper-and-pencil tests or using authentic assessment

through product and performance, the next step is grading to make
a decision to assess the performance of the student. In American
educational system, for instance, grades are expressed in terms of
letters i.e. A, B, B+, B-, C, C-, D or referred to as a seven-point
system. In Philippine colleges and universities, the letters are
replaced with numerical values 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0
or an eight-point system. In basic education, grades are expressed
in percentages of accomplishment such as 80% or 75%. With the
implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum,
however, student‘s performance is expressed in terms of level of
proficiency. Regardless of what grading system adopted, it is clear
that there appears to be a need to convert raw scores into
corresponding standard grading systems.

A grading system in education is a system that is used to

assess the educational performance of a child which is entirely
based upon points alone.

Norm-Referenced Grading, the class sets the standard to which the

individual will be compared. The students who get the highest total points
at the end of the course will get A‘s, even if they only successfully complete
half of the learning objectives. Those with the least points fail.
The number of students getting each letter grade is
determined by what is referred to as a normal distribution. The
reasoning behind this is that on any measure of individual
differences, most of the scores will cluster around the mean. The
number of scores below or above the mean will diminish with
distance from it. So, on an imaginary test of 100 questions, where
the average score is 50 right, we would expect to find a great many
students getting 50 or 49 or 51. Very few will get either 5 right or 95
right. This is, of course, because a great many people are of
average ability and motivation, or nearly so. Very few deviate
substantially from the average.

While this argument seems to suggest that you will usually

get a normal distribution of scores on your tests, you almost
certainly never will. Score distributions which fit the Normal Curve
will only be found where there is a very large population of test-
takers, perhaps thousands.

If the teacher faithfully employs norm referenced grading,

then the parents‘ question about their child‘s class standing is
reliably answered. This type of grading also relieves the teacher of
any concern about fairness in awarding grades. New teachers are
especially concerned that students don’t score well on tests
because the test was too hard. Norm-referenced grading
systems factor out the difficulty of the test and any deficiencies in
the instruction. It does have serious problems:
1. norm-referenced grades don‘t necessarily provide any
indication of a student‘s mastery of the learning objectives in the
course;
2. it is impossible for a student to project how he might do
on future work, since the grades are determined by a constantly
shifting frame of reference.
3. It could be argued that that would encourage each
student to work to the limit of his potential.
§ Example of norm-referenced grading:
Raw Score Grade Equivalent Percentage
Below 55 Fail 1%
55 – 60 Marginal Pass 4%
61 – 65 Pass 11%
66 – 75 Average 68%
76 – 80 Above Average 11%
81 – 85 Very Good 4%
Above 85 Excellent 1%

Norm-referenced grading indeed promotes competition to the

extent that students would rather not help fellow students because
by doing so, the mean of the class would be raised and
consequently it would be more difficult to get higher grades.

§ Criterion-Referenced Grading. Based on a fixed criterion

measure or fixed target or standard of performance that the
student must achieve in order to obtain a passing grade in a
subject/lesson/course regardless of how the other students in the
class perform. In criterion-referenced grading, assignment of
grades is accomplished by comparing the students‘ performance to
the learning objectives.
§ Example of criterion-referenced grading:

Criteria Raw Scores Grade Equivalent

Excellent 98 – 100 85 – 100
Good 88 – 97 80 – 84
Fair 75 – 87 70 – 79
Poor/Pass 65 – 74 60 – 69
Failure Below 65 Below 60

For example, in a class of 100 students using the

aforementioned table, no one might get a grade of excellent if no
one scores 98 above or 85 above depending on the criterion used.
There is no fixed percentage of students who are expected to get
the various grades in the criterion-referenced grading system.

In the criterion-referenced grading system, students can help

a fellow student in a group work without necessarily worrying about
lowering his/her grades in that subject/course. This is because the
criterion-referenced grading system does not require the mean of
the class as a basis for distributing grades among the students.
Therefore, it is an ideal system to use in collaborative group work.
It is logical to say that, criterion-referenced grading system should
be based on the school‘s standards and should not rest on only
one teacher‘s opinion or standard.

§ Four Questions in Grading (Svinicki,2007; Elcomblus.com 2020)

1. Should grades reflect absolute achievement level or
achievement relative to others in the same class?
2. Should grades reflect achievement only or non-academic
components such as attitude, speed and diligence?
3. Should grades report status achieved or amount of growth?
4. How can several grades on diverse skills combine to give a
single mark?

§ What Should Go into a Student‘s Grade?

1. Should grades reflect absolute achievement level or

achievement relative to others in the same class?
2. Should grades reflect achievement only or non-academic
components such as attitude, speed, and diligence?
3. Should grade report status achieved or amount of growth?
4. How can several grades on diverse skills combine to give a
single mark?

Standardized Test Scoring:

Test standardization is a process by which teacher or researcher-
made tests are validated and item analysed. After a thorough
process of validation, test characteristics are established which
includes test validity, test reliability, test difficulty level and others
previously discussed in this module. Standard tests are having
psychometric properties with mathematical scoring and norms
using wider samples of test takers to assure score distribution in a
normal curve having uniform scoring system in a manner
resembling a criterion-referenced approach.

Cumulative and Averaging Systems of Grading

In the cumulative grading system, the grade of a student in a
particular grading period equals his current grading period grade
which is assumed to have the cumulative effects of the previous
grading periods.

Example: 80 – Prelim

90 – Midterm grade

80 – Tentative Final grade

 Final Grade = 1/3 of Midterm

+ 2/3 of Tentative Final grade

1/3 of 90 +2/3 of 80 =

30 + 53.33 = 83 Final grade

In the averaging system, the grade of a student on a particular

grading period equals the average of the grades obtained in the
previous grading periods and the current grading period. DepEd is
using an averaging system.

Example: 80 - Prelim 80+90+85 / 3 = 85 Final grade

90 - Midterm

85 - Final

Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12

Basic Education Curriculum, DepEd No. 8, series 2015
The following tables presented in this lesson are lifted from
Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 8 series of 2015 for
your reference as student-teacher:
 Steps for Computing Grades
1. Get the total score for each component.
2. Divide the total raw score by the highest possible score then
multiply the quotient by 100%.
3. Convert Percentage Scores to Weighted Scores. Multiply the
Percentage Score by the weight of the component indicated in
Table 4 and Table 5.
4. Add the Weighted Scores of each component. The result will
be the Initial Grade.
5. Transmute the Initial Grade using the Transmutation Table.
For MAPEH, individual grades are given to each area, namely,
Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health. The quarterly grade
for MAPEH is the average of the quarterly grades in the four areas.

How are grades computed at the end of the school year?

For Grades 1-10
The average of the Quarterly Grades (QG) produces the Final Grade.

The General Average is computed by dividing the sum of all final

grades by the total number of learning areas. Each learning area
has equal weight.
The Final Grade in each learning area and the General Average
are reported as whole numbers. Table 8 shows an example of the
Final Grades of the different learning areas and General Average
of a Grade 4 student.

For Grades 11 and 12

The two quarters determine the Final Grade in a semester. Table 9
shows an example in Grade 11, second semester for the
Accounting, Business, and Management (ABM) strand.
How is the learner’s progress reported?
The summary of learner progress is shown quarterly to parents
and guardians through a parent-teacher conference, in which the
report card is discussed. The grading scale, with its corresponding
descriptors, is in Table 10. Remarks are given at the end of the
grade level.

Using the sample class record in Table 6, LEARNER A received

an Initial Grade of 84.86 in English for the First Quarter, which,
when transmuted to a grade of 90, is equivalent to Outstanding.
LEARNER B received a transmuted grade of 88, which is
equivalent to Very Satisfactory. LEARNER C received a grade of
71, which means that the learner ―Did Not Meet Expectations‖ in
the First Quarter of Grade 4 English.
When a learner‘s raw scores are consistently below expectations
in Written Work and Performance
Tasks, the learner‘s parents or guardians must be informed not
later than the fifth week of that quarter. This will enable them to
help and guide their child to improve and prepare for the Quarterly
Assessment. A learner who receives a grade below 75 in any
subject in a quarter must be given intervention through remediation
and extra lessons from the teacher/s of that subject.
How are learners promoted or retained at the end of the school
year?
A Final Grade of 75 or higher in all learning areas allows the
student to be promoted to the next grade level. Table 11 specifies
the guidelines to be followed for learner promotion and retention .
For Grades 1 to 3 Learners Promotion and Retention

Requirements Decision

Final Grade of at least 75 in

Promoted to
the next grade level all learning
areas

Must pass remedial classes for learning

areas with
Did Not Meet Expectations failing mark to be
promoted to the next grade level. in not more than
two learning
Otherwise the learner
retained the same grade area level.

Did Not Meet Expectations

in three or more learning Retained in
the same grade level areas
For Grades 4 to 10 Learners Promotion and Retention

Requirements Decision

Final Grade of at Promoted to the next grade level

least 75 in all
learning areas

Did Not Meet Must pass remedial classes for

Expectations in not learning areas with failing marks
more than two to be promoted to the next grade
learning areas level. Otherwise the learner is
retained in the same grade level.

Did Not Meet

Expectations in Retained in the same grade level
three or more
learning areas
Must pass all Earn the Elementary Certificate
learning areas in
the Elementary Promoted to Junior High School

Must pass all Earn the Junior High School

learning areas in Certificate
the Junior High
School Promoted to Senior High School
For Grades 11 to 12 Learners Promotion and Retention

Requirements Decision

Final Grade of at least Can proceed to the next semester

75 in all learning areas
in a semester

Did not Meet Must pass remedial classes for failed

Expectations in a competencies in the subject before being
 prerequisite subject in a allowed to enroll in the higher-level
learning area subject

Did Not Meet Expectations in any subject or learning area at the end of the
semester
Must pass remedial classes for failed competencies in the subjects or
learning areas to be allowed to enroll in the next semester. Otherwise
the learner must retake the subjects failed.

Must pass all subjects or learning

Earn the Senior High School
Certificate areas in Senior High School

For Grades 1-10, a learner who Did Not Meet

Expectations in at most two learning areas must
take remedial classes. Remedial classes are
conducted after the Final Grades have been
computed. The learner must pass the remedial
classes to be promoted to the next grade level.
However, teachers should ensure that learners
receive remediation when they earn raw scores
which are consistently below expectations in Written
Work and Performance Tasks by the fifth week of
any quarter. This will prevent a student from failing
in any learning area at the end of the year.

For Grade 11-12, learners who fail a unit/set of competencies must be

immediately given remedial classes. They should pass the summative
assessments during remediation to avoid a failing grade in a learning
area/subject. This will prevent students from having back subjects in Senior
High School (SHS). However, if the learner still fails remedial classes, s/he
must retake the subject/s failed during the summer or as a back subject.
Guidance teachers/career advocates must provide support to the SHS
student for his/her choices in SHS tracks.
List of Summative Assessment Tools
Below is the list of sample summative assessment tools per learning area.
Teachers may use other appropriate tools specific to the assessment task.