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LPF school trial: grade abolishment with standards-based competency grids, learning-development meetings, and formative feedback

Design · All designs
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

The Learning-enhanced Performance Feedback (LPF) school trial was a quasi-experimental intervention in 35 Baden-Württemberg elementary schools beginning in the 2022/2023 school year, compared with 40 control schools. Trial schools abolished written grades and report cards and instead gave "standards-based competency grids" on a 4-point scale from "You still need to work on this" to "You are an expert", at least two oral learning-development meetings per school year, and formative assessment and feedback practices integrated throughout instruction. The grids share many similarities with standards-based grading systems as defined by Welsh et al. (2013) and Guskey and Bailey (2001).

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • Trial schools were required to eliminate written grades from Grade 2 onward; implementation was evaluated on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs

Constraints

  • The trial was implemented with minimal requirements: teachers received no comprehensive professional development and no detailed guidance on formative assessment or feedback practices; standardization of features decreased from the first to the third feature

Target Learners

  • elementary school students in Grades 2-3

Learning Goals

  • achievement in reading and mathematics
  • subject-specific self-concepts and interests
  • well-being and classroom climate

Claims

Examples

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Key Sources

  • Nicolas Hübner, Juliane Rutsch, Ann-Kathrin Schnelle, Mia Herkommer, Evelin Ruth-Herbein, Benjamin Fauth. (2026). To Grade or Not To Grade? Demystifying a Centuries-Old Debate. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10156-1
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id lpf-school-trial-element
title LPF school trial: grade abolishment with standards-based competency grids, learning-development meetings, and formative feedback
description The Learning-enhanced Performance Feedback (LPF) school trial was a quasi-experimental intervention in 35 Baden-Württemberg elementary schools beginning in the 2022/2023 school year, compared with 40 control schools.
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-21
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — nicolas-hübner-2026

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