All features

Standards-based grading & mastery

Track what each student has actually mastered — with your standards, your scale, and evidence that stays honest.

app.pearspark.com
Art Studio · Mastery
Students × standards · latest evidence wins
ART.LINEART.COLORART.CRITAva JohnsonEExceedsSMeetsSMeetsLiam MartinezSMeetsSMeetsEExceedsMia ChenSMeetsN — ApproachingS — MeetsE — ExceedsNApproaching

New evidence replaces old — mastery is a current state, never an average.

In short

Pearspark includes standards-based grading end to end: a school-defined standards catalog (CSV import), assignment tagging, per-skill mastery where the latest evidence wins (never an average), a class mastery matrix, standards report cards, and a coverage report showing what's been taught, assessed, and mastered.

Your standards, not a state dropdown

Build your catalog by hand or import it from CSV — codes, descriptions, subjects, grade levels. Classical, Montessori, state-aligned, or homegrown: the school owns the list.

Mastery that reflects growth

Tag assignments with the standards they practice and rate each student per standard. A student's current level comes from their rating history — latest evidence wins by default (or best-ever, per class) — so early stumbles never drag down a demonstrated skill. That's the whole point of standards-based grading, and averages break it.

See the class at a glance, report to families properly

The mastery matrix shows every student × every standard for a class. At term end, post official mastery ratings to standards report cards — separate from GPA transcripts, so skills-based classes never distort academic records.

The taught / assessed / mastered loop

Because lesson plans and assignments both tag standards, the coverage report shows — for every standard — how often it was taught, how often it was assessed, and the class's current mastery distribution. Untouched standards are highlighted, because finding the gaps is the point.

What's included

  • School-defined standards catalog with CSV import
  • Assignment tagging with a searchable picker
  • Per-standard ratings on your own scale (E/S/N, 1–4, anything)
  • Latest-evidence-wins mastery (or best-ever, per class)
  • Class mastery matrix: students × standards
  • Posted, term-official standards report cards
  • Taught vs assessed vs mastered coverage report
  • Mastery view in the parent portal and student profile

All of it is part of the flat price — $50/month including 20 students, then $2.50/student (volume bands down to $1.00). Nothing on this page is a paid add-on.

See it done in 60 seconds

All 7 videos

Real screen recordings, one task per minute — no fluff.

Set up grade scales and the standards catalogAdmins
Tag an assignment with standardsTeachers
Rate students on an assignment's standardsTeachers
View the class mastery matrixTeachers
Post term mastery ratings (standards-based class)Teachers
Review skills and standards mastery for a classFamilies

Common questions

Does standards-based grading replace the regular gradebook?

It's per class. A class can grade traditionally, by standards, or both — skills ratings live alongside scores, and standards report cards stay separate from GPA transcripts.

Why latest-evidence instead of averaging ratings?

Because mastery is a current state, not a career average. A student who struggled in September and demonstrates the skill in March has mastered it; averaging would say otherwise. Pearspark uses the rating history so growth counts.

Can we use our own rating scale?

Yes — the scale is school-defined (E/S/N, Exceeds/Meets/Approaching, 1–4, whatever your report cards say). Pearspark doesn't impose one.

Try it in the live demo

Explore standards-based grading & mastery in a real sandbox school — admin, teacher, and parent views, no signup. Sample data resets daily.