One of the greatest benefits of switching to standards referenced grading is how students are graded based on their understanding and performance at  the time of the assessment. This allows students to embrace a growth mindset and know that it is okay to not have mastery of a concept the first time they are assessed. They will have many more chances to prove their understanding, and previous assessments won’t be held against them. Because of this shift in grading policy, we have been seeing many students step out and take a risk knowing that failure is not something to be afraid of but can be one of our greatest teachers.