Standards-based grading is closely linked to PBE, CBE, and Mastery Learning. It emphasizes student achievement relative to specific topics within each subject area. Marzano (2010) traces the history of standards-based grading to the publication of the Malcom Report (1993), which defined an "educational performance standard". An important aspect of standards-based grading involves assessing academic performance as being "advanced", "proficient", "basic", or "below basic", paralleling the 4.0, 3.0, 2.0, and 1.0 levels of proficiency scales, respectively.