Compensatory grading refers to which concept?

• A. Providing extra credit opportunities to all students
• B. The practice of balancing out lower performance in one area with higher performance in another
• C. Averaging scores across multiple tests
• D. Using a fixed passing threshold for all domains

Answer: (B)

Compensatory grading means combining scores from different areas so that strong performance in one area can offset weaker performance in another. This approach focuses on the overall picture rather than requiring excellence in every domain, which is why the description fits best: balancing out lower performance in one area with higher performance in another. For example, a student who does very well in communication but is weaker in daily living skills can still achieve a solid overall grade because the high scores across areas contribute to the total. In contrast, extra credit for everyone doesn’t address balance across domains, averaging across tests is just computing an average rather than allowing one area to compensate for another, and a fixed passing threshold for all domains requires meeting the bar in every domain, which is non-compensatory.