Which statement best describes how narrative grading differs from standards-based grading?

• A. The standards-based grading system uses proficiency scores, but the narrative grading system does not.
• B. The narrative grading system uses proficiency scores to a great extent, but the standards-based system does not.
• C. The standards-based system is used to report state-level proficiency scores, while the narrative grading system is used for informal evaluations.
• D. The narrative grading system is used to determine proficiency scores for written tasks, while the standards-based system is used for other performance tasks.

Answer: (A)

Understanding how each approach reports learning is the key. Standards-based grading focuses on how well a student demonstrates mastery of explicit standards, usually using proficiency levels or scores that show progress toward those standards. Narrative grading, on the other hand, emphasizes descriptive feedback that describes growth, strengths, and next steps without tying the feedback to a standard-based proficiency score. So the statement that best captures the difference is that standards-based grading uses proficiency scores, while narrative grading does not rely on those scores. The other options misstate the relationship by suggesting narrative relies on proficiency scores, or by tying standards-based reporting to state-level scores or to informal evaluations, or by assigning proficiency only to written tasks.