What is speXray?
speXray is a web-based grade and assessment management system designed for instructors who use specifications grading or standards-based grading (aka SBSG).
speXray is a web-based grade and assessment management system designed for instructors who use specifications grading or standards-based grading (aka SBSG).
Traditional grading systems are based on points and percentages. Students earn or lose points based on the work that they do—in theory, based on the quality of their work. At the end of the term points are totaled up or percentages are averaged and a final grade is calculated.
SBSG places the emphasis in a different place. Instead of focusing on points (and the games students play to try to get just enough points), courses that use SBSG focus on having students demonstrate mastery of course objectives. Final grades, then, are based on what students have actually learned, not on the size of their pile of points.
If you'd like to learn more, we highly recommend Linda Nilson's book Specifications Grading which explains all of this in greater detail.
Most traditional ways of tracking grades—such as learning management system gradebooks or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets—presume that grades are about math. Adding points, subtracting points, averaging.
With SBSG, scores for assessments are often just conditions (e.g. "meets objectives" or "doesn't meet objectives"). Final grades aren't based on math but are tied to the relationship between the different assessments students have completed. Grades may be based on the amount or difficulty of the assessments, not on their point value.
Because of this difference, it can be a nightmare to manage the grades for an SBSG course using traditional means. speXray was designed specifically for SBSG. It offers a range of features, from managing the day-to-day needs of tracking student work, to the big-picture of assessing where students stand in their journey through the course.
speXray is currently in a limited private beta period. To apply to be a beta-tester, please send an email to spexray.io @ gmail.com