Shifting the Curve: The Impact of a Grading Policy Change in One Urban School District

• In Event: Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: Division H Section 1 Poster

Abstract

This study addressed the research question of whether a shift in district grading policy (changing the minimum grade for passing courses and earning high school credit from 60 to 70) increased the number of high school course failures during the period. The study used a descriptive time series analysis of longitudinal (2000-2010) student- level course grade data from an urban district. It appears that teacher practice shifted with the change in policy. Teachers assigned far fewer marks between 60 and 69 once these marks indicated an F grade, and the policy had little effect on the percentage of courses failed. An emphasis on raising standards through such grading policy shifts is unlikely to have a major impact on student outcomes.

Authors

• Martha Abele Mac Iver, Johns Hopkins University

• Matthew Messel, Johns Hopkins University