MARKS & MASTERY
Two ways to assess. One gradebook built for both.
Grade with marks, categories and weighting, or track growth across skills, standards and learning outcomes with MarkBook Mastery, included with MarkBook®. Choose the approach that fits the learning, class by class.
Choose the assessment approach that fits the learning.
Around the world, schools are rethinking what a grade should say. Some are moving to standards, outcomes, competencies and proficiency scales. Others are sharpening the grading they already know. Most classrooms sit somewhere in between, and many teachers are asked to work both ways.
The real question isn’t which approach is better. It’s which one best represents the learning in front of you. MarkBook gives you both, with the depth to do each one well.
Gather marks. Or gather evidence.
One approach builds achievement from marks, categories and weighting. The other builds it from evidence of each skill, attempt by attempt. Both lead to a grade you can stand behind.
Traditional Grading
Marks, categories and weighting.
Grade with percentages, letter grades or levels. Organize work into categories, weight what matters most, and see achievement from several angles, from weighted averages to Most Consistent Level.
A strong fit for: courses built around tests, assignments and projects; schools that report percentages or letter grades; teachers who want deep calculations with full control.
MarkBook Mastery
Skills, standards and outcomes.
Record every attempt, confirm mastery when a student shows it consistently, and let “not yet” be part of the journey, not the final word.
A strong fit for: standards-based, outcomes-based and competency-based grading; thinking classrooms; going gradeless; skills that develop over many attempts.
Measure growth, not just points.
In a points-based gradebook, every early mistake keeps counting. In MarkBook Mastery, what matters is what a student can do now, and the journey that got them there.
Picture it: Sam struggles with fractions in October. In November, Sam gets it right with a little help. In December, Sam gets it right on their own twice in a row, once on a quiz and once while explaining it to you. That’s mastery, confirmed. Every step is in the record, and Sam’s result reflects what Sam can do now, not the average of every stumble along the way.
Built around your curriculum
Standards, outcomes, competencies, learning targets or criteria: whatever your curriculum calls them, build them into MarkBook Mastery. Group related outcomes into tables, then choose which levels apply to each one (Basic, Intermediate and Advanced) and what each is worth. A guided setup walks you through building each table.
Every attempt, in context
Record each attempt as it happens with quick, simple codes: Solo OK, Silly error, Helped, Group, Wrong or Not tried. Tag it as a conversation, observation or product, so you can see at a glance what kind of evidence stands behind each level.
Mastery you can stand behind
A level is confirmed when a student succeeds in consecutive attempts, including on their own. Not after one lucky day. Once confirmed, the outcome reflects the highest level the student has reached, and earlier “not yet” attempts never pull the result down. Reassessment becomes part of learning, not a loophole.
Every result shows its proof
The attempts that confirmed each level are highlighted right in the record, so you, your students and their families can see exactly why an outcome earned its mark.
Going gradeless? You can.
Focus on the evidence, not the points. Record what students show you, and MarkBook Mastery calculates the grade in the background, ready when reporting asks for one.
Less tracking, more teaching
Following dozens of outcomes across a class can bury you in spreadsheets. MarkBook Mastery brings every attempt together and keeps results current as you go.
Still need a grade? You decide how it’s built.
Set what each level is worth and how much each outcome and table matters. MarkBook Mastery turns the evidence into a current grade for reports and transcripts, and you can adjust it at any time with your professional judgement.
Share progress with clarity
The Records Overview shows each student’s results, table by table and outcome by outcome, with a clear chart. Save it as a PDF to share with students and families.
Students know what’s next
When students can see which skills they’ve mastered and which are still “not yet,” the next step is obvious, and progress becomes something they own.
“MarkBook worked out really well, everyone liked the levels. They also liked the Mark Sets. The kids got to the point in several classes of wanting to see their levels etc.”
Familiar grading, with far more depth.
Traditional grading in MarkBook isn’t a basic gradebook. Use the grading scale your school reports with, organize work into categories that mirror your curriculum, and weight entries and categories your way. Then go beyond a single average with weighted median, Most Consistent Level, blended calculations and trends, so every final grade rests on the full picture.
Keep work habits separate. Record learning behaviours and work habits in their own space, so they inform your conversations without ever changing an academic mark.
Explore Powerful Calculations →
Start with the learning.
| If you’re asking… | Consider |
|---|---|
| How did this student perform across tests, assignments and projects? | Traditional Grading |
| Which skills or outcomes has this student mastered, and at what level? | MarkBook Mastery |
| Do I need precise control over categories and weighting? | Traditional Grading |
| Is learning built through many attempts over time? | MarkBook Mastery |
| Does my school report percentages or letter grades? | Either. Both produce a final grade. |
You don’t have to choose once. Choose the approach that fits each class.
Moving toward standards-based grading? Start where you are.
Changes to grading last when teachers believe in them, practice is consistent, and families can follow along. MarkBook helps you build that foundation at your own pace.
Bringing MarkBook to your organization? Solutions →
- Pilot without disruption. Start with one department, grade level, year group or school, while everyone else keeps grading the way they do today.
- Build a shared foundation. Common outcomes and Mastery tables can be set up as part of your implementation, so classrooms work from the same structure.
- Keep the grade your reports require. MarkBook Mastery still produces a final grade, so you can move toward mastery-based assessment without redesigning your reporting overnight.
- Keep families in the picture. The Records Overview shows where each student stands on every outcome.
- Respect professional judgement. Teachers interpret the evidence and make the final call in both approaches.
Two approaches. One belief.
Technology should organize and calculate the evidence, not replace the educator who understands it. Whichever approach you choose, MarkBook does the heavy lifting and you make the decision.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch a class between the two approaches later?
No. You choose the approach when you create a class, so pick the one that fits how you’ll assess that course. You can always create another class using the other approach.
Can I use my own curriculum or standards?
Yes. You create the outcomes, so MarkBook Mastery fits whatever curriculum, standards or framework you teach. MarkBook doesn’t include prebuilt curriculum libraries.
Does MarkBook Mastery use rubrics?
MarkBook Mastery uses levels of attainment rather than rubric scoring. MarkBook doesn’t currently include rubric creation or rubric scoring.
Can families see Mastery results?
Send the class to MarkBook CONNECT, and families see each table’s overall grade and percentage, plus the Student Report and Scaled Report if you attach them. Outcome-by-outcome detail stays in MarkBook; share the Records Overview as a PDF when you want families to see it.
Is MarkBook Mastery available in MarkBook for Windows?
No. MarkBook Mastery is available in MarkBook, which works on any computer or tablet.
Assess the way your students learn.
Traditional or Mastery, MarkBook gives you the depth to do it well.