Nearly 60% of grades don’t match student test scores
By Kara Arundel
-
Grading practices in U.S. schools are antiquated and “out of step” with other contemporary K-12 efforts, according to a study published last month by the Equitable Grading Project, a nonprofit research organization that promotes equitable grading practices.
-
The study of about 33,000 middle school and high school grades found that almost 60% of the students’ grades did not match the course knowledge they showed according to standardized test scores. The mismatches were highest among Black and Hispanic students and those from families who qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch.
-
Grade inflation — or when grades exceed a student’s actual academic understanding — can lead to students struggling to keep up in certain high school or college-level courses. At the other end of the spectrum, grade depression can cause students to miss out on higher-level courses or college admission and scholarship opportunities, the study said.
Even accounting for the limitations of standardized tests and student test anxiety, the 60% mismatch between teacher-assigned grades and assessment scores is an “astonishingly high number,” the researchers said.
The study, which looked at grades in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, is one of the largest ever conducted on grading practices, according to the authors. The Equitable Grading Project was established by the Crescendo Education Group, a consulting firm.
″Each year, millions of high school students are receiving grades that don’t represent what they actually know and have learned. … Yet, they are presented as the truth and set expectations about what that student can accomplish,” said Guadalupe Guerrero, CEO of Partnership for Los Angeles Schools and former superintendent of Oregon’s Portland Public Schools, in a foreword to the study.
Of the 33,000 grades analyzed, 41% were inflated compared to standardized test scores. Black, Hispanic and lower-income students more frequently received inflated grades compared to Asian, White and students eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch.
Some 16% of the grades studied were depressed. This occurred relatively evenly across student populations.
Several factors contribute to inaccurate grades, including scoring for homework completion and other activities that don’t necessarily prove what a student knows, the study said.
Some 83% of 1,200 teachers surveyed agreed or somewhat agreed that the grades they gave accurately reflect student learning and academic readiness.
The study noted that teachers should not be blamed for grading variability and inaccuracy because they typically don’t receive training in grading practices. To improve this, the study recommends state and district education leaders support teacher professional development for equitable grading practices. The study also advocates for more research on the impact of accurate and fair grading practices.
Improving grading practices can lower the rates of D and F grades, reduce both grade inflation and grade depression, and lead to system wide improvements for schools, the study said. The practices researchers recommend include:
-
Using a 0-4 point or 50%-100% grading scale.
-
Excluding classwork and homework in final grades and only reporting on a student’s academic understanding of course content “at the end of their learning.”
-
Leaving non academic and behavior performance, including extra credit and participation, out of grades.
-
Scoring only on individual student’s performance, not on group performance.