Learning Gains in Organic Chemistry from Full and Hybrid Specifications Grading

Specifications grading is one type of alternative grading that focuses students on meeting course learning objectives rather than accumulating points, sets a threshold for satisfactory work, and often includes frequent, low-stakes assessments, feedback, and opportunities for reattempts or revision.

However, the contribution of these features to student learning in authentic courses remains difficult to isolate. This study provides course-scale evidence that frequent, feedback-rich, reattemptable learning-target assessment is associated with higher standardized exam performance in large-enrollment Organic Chemistry I. Students in multiple sections that adopted this assessment structure, whether embedded in full specifications grading or in a hybrid points-based system, scored significantly higher on the same custom ACS Organic Chemistry Exam than students in a traditionally graded comparison section.