Specifications Grading in Political Science

This article explores the efficacy of specifications grading in undergraduate political science classes. Specifications grading organizes instruction around a set of learning objectives and evaluates student success based on the achievement of carefully articulated specifications for each assessment. Assessments are considered satisfactory or unsatisfactory and final grades are determined based on satisfactory completion of groups (bundles) of assignments, with a bundle linked to each letter grade. The are several advantages to this system: (1) it allows students to be strategic in the work they choose to complete; (2) it allows students to know where they stand without having to calculate weighted averages; and (3) it facilitates more efficient and reliable grading. In this essay, we provide an overview of this technique, reflections on how it works in practice, and what we consider to be best practices for implementation in political science.