Grade Interpretation and Use: A Comparative Multiple Stakeholder Study

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: Division H Section 3 Poster Session 2: Examining Assessment in Schools

Abstract

Grades represent student learning over a period of study and are used for various high-stake educational decisions (McMillan, 2001). Recently, grades are increasingly used across education systems as levers of mobility, enabling the immigration of students from one system to another, and potentially contributing to settling in a new country. Despite the pervasive influence of grades on schooling and non-schooling outcomes, little is known about the consistency and comparability of grades across educational systems (Brookhart et al., 2016) and stakeholders (Cheng et al., 2018). The purpose of this study was to examine multiple stakeholders’ interpretations of grading and perceptions of assessment from two distinct learning systems – Canada and China – to gain a greater understanding of grading as a cross-cultural practice.

Authors

• Wei Yan, Queen's University - Kingston

• Liying Cheng, Queen's University

• Heather Braund, Queen's University - Kingston

• Amir Rasooli, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta