REL Midwest Ask A REL Response

Data Use

February 2020

Brookhart, S. M., Guskey, T. R., Bowers, A. J., McMillan, J. H., Smith, J. K., Smith, L. F., et al. (2016). A century of grading research: Meaning and value in the most common educational measure. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 803–848. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1121566

From the ERIC abstract: “Grading refers to the symbols assigned to individual pieces of student work or to composite measures of student performance on report cards. This review of over 100 years of research on grading considers five types of studies: (a) early studies of the reliability of grades, (b) quantitative studies of the composition of K-12 report card grades, (c) survey and interview studies of teachers’ perceptions of grades, (d) studies of standards-based grading, and (e) grading in higher education. Early 20th-century studies generally condemned teachers’ grades as unreliable. More recent studies of the relationships of grades to tested achievement and survey studies of teachers’ grading practices and beliefs suggest that grades assess a multidimensional construct containing both cognitive and noncognitive factors reflecting what teachers value in student work. Implications for future research and for grading practices are discussed.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Guskey, T. R., Swan, G. M., & Jung, L. A. (2010). Developing a statewide, standards-based student report card: A review of the Kentucky initiative. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED509404

From the ERIC abstract: “This paper describes a major initiative in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to develop a statewide, standards-based, student report card for reporting the learning progress of individual students at all grade levels (K-12). Led by a team of researchers with expertise in grading and reporting, 36 educators from three diverse school districts created two reporting forms: one for elementary and another for secondary level. These reporting forms were piloted by 41 teachers who distributed both the new form and the traditional report card to parents/guardians during the school year. Information gathered through surveys administered to teachers, parents/guardians, and students was used to determine satisfaction with the new forms and to guide revisions. Plans are currently in place to expand applications and professional development, enhance technical support, and establish a basis for statewide implementation.”

Guskey, T. R. (2011). Five obstacles to grading reform. Educational Leadership, 69(3), 16–21. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ963093

From the ERIC abstract: “Educators seeking to reform grading must combat five long-held traditions that stand as formidable obstacles to change: (1) Grades should provide the basis for differentiating students; (2) grade distributions should resemble a bell-shaped curve; (3) grades should be based on students’ standing among classmates; (4) poor grades prompt students to try harder; and (5) students should receive one grade for each subject or course. Education leaders who challenge these traditions must be armed with thoughtful, research-based alternatives.”

O’Connor, K. (2017). How to grade for learning: Linking grades to standards (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Retrieved from https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-to-grade-for-learning/book249818

From the description: “Classroom assessment and grading should help students grow and develop to their full potential, but meshing traditional grading practices with students’ achievement on standards has been difficult and daunting. Making real and lasting changes to grading practices requires both knowledge and willpower.

This 4th edition of the best-selling How to Grade for Learning provides eight guidelines for good grading, offers recommendations for practical applications, and gives solid suggestions for implementing more effective grading practices. Ken O’Connor presents the latest research on motivation, mindset, learning styles, and beliefs about fairness to inform this new edition, which includes:

- Both the why’s and the how-to’s of implementing standards-based grading practices
- 48 educator contributions from nationally and internationally known educators, authors, and consultants that provide ideas and testimonials for effective assessment practices
- Sections on hot-button issues such as academic dishonesty, extra credit, bonus points and homework
- Additional information on utilizing levels of proficiency and eliminating the use of percentages and averaging
- Reflective exercises and numerous tools, including rubrics, sample letters, and case studies
- Techniques for managing grading more efficiently

An invaluable resource for helping teachers assign grades that are accurate, consistent, meaningful, and supportive of learning, this book also makes an ideal staff development resource.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Swan, G. M., Guskey, T. R., & Jung, L. A. (2014). Parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of standards-based and traditional report cards. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 26(3), 289–299. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1040847

From the ERIC abstract: “The purpose of this study was to determine parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of standards-based and traditional report cards. Participants included 115 parents/guardians of students from a single, midsize school district that had implemented a standards-based report card. During the first two marking periods, all parents/guardians received both a traditional report card in which teachers assigned a single overall grade for each subject and a standards-based report card that included marks for individual standards within subjects. After midyear, parents were asked to complete a survey that asked which form they preferred and the reasons for their preference. Three hundred and eighty three teachers from two nearby midsize school districts considering the adoption of the same standards-based report card completed a similar survey. Parents overwhelmingly preferred the standards-based form. The teachers considering the adoption of a standards based report card were positive overall, but significantly less than the parents who had received them.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Townsley, M., & Buckmiller, T. (2016). What does the research say about standards-based grading? A research primer [Online submission]. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED590391

From the ERIC abstract: “Traditional grading practices have been used for over one hundred years, and to date, there have been no meaningful research reports to support it. As such, some schools are transitioning to standards-based grading, a practice based upon several evidence-based principles. The purpose of this research primer is to provide an overview of the research literature on standards-based grading.”

Welsh, M. E., D’Agostino, J. V., & Kaniskan, B. (2013). Grading as a reform effort: Do standards‐based grades converge with test scores? Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 32(2), 26–36. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1014767

From the ERIC abstract: “Standards-based progress reports (SBPRs) require teachers to grade students using the performance levels reported by state tests and are an increasingly popular report card format. They may help to increase teacher familiarity with state standards, encourage teachers to exclude nonacademic factors from grades, and/or improve communication with parents. The current study examines the SBPR grade-state test score correspondence observed across 2 years in 125 third and fifth grade classrooms located in one school district to examine the degree of consistency between grades and state test results. It also examines the grading practices of a subset of 37 teachers to determine whether there is an association between teacher appraisal style and convergence rates. A moderate degree of grade-test score convergence was observed using three agreement estimates (coefficient kappa, tau-b correlations, and classroom-level mean differences between grades and test scores). In addition, only small amounts of grade-test score convergence were observed between teachers; a much greater proportion of variance lay within classrooms and subjects. Appraisal style correlated weakly with convergence rates, but was most strongly related to assigning students to the same performance level as the test. Therefore using recommended grading practices may improve the quality of SBPR grades to some extent.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.