Lived Experiences of Competency-Based Grading: Implementation in the Secondary Public School Setting
Date of Award
6-19-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
Bronwyn MacFarlane
Second Advisor
Peter Ghazarian
Committee Members
Audrey Bowser
Abstract
The implementation of non-traditional grading systems is a current theme in American public school education. Competency-Based Grading (CBG) is a system that many school districts are considering. CBG is based on essential learning objectives and streamlines the grading of those objectives. CBG also removes high stakes assessment by allowing reassessment. However, studies have shown implementation efforts are often met with obstacles for either a lack of preparation or understanding. This dissertation seeks to understand the lived experiences of educational staff with the CBG implementation process through a phenomenological study. Data was gathered through interviews, observations, and document review. The themes were created through thematic analysis of the data with an inductive approach. This study found the following four themes based on the participants’ lived experiences: more preparation needed, increased communication, adjustment of implementation, and impacts on classroom experience. These themes were mostly negative in tone and match the results of previous studies. Participants commented on lived experiences of being underprepared for the implementation process. However, participants were able to articulate positive impacts on the classroom experience for their students with CBG.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Gillespie, Andrew Robbins, "Lived Experiences of Competency-Based Grading: Implementation in the Secondary Public School Setting" (2026). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1170.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1170
