Using large-scale assessment scores to determine student grades

Many Canadian provinces provide guidelines for teachers to determine students' final grades by combining a percentage of students' scores from provincial large-scale assessments with their term scores. This practice is thought to hold students accountable by motivating them to put effort into completing the large-scale assessment, thereby generating a more accurate assessment of their ability. This study examined teachers' perceptions of the accountability framework underpinning large-scale assessments—in particular, teachers' beliefs and practices related to using students' provincial assessment scores to determine final grades. Questionnaires were distributed to teachers and follow-up interviews were conducted. Findings revealed that teachers did not entirely endorse the practice of using large-scale assessment results to determine student grades; instead, they appeared to be applying the guidelines while at the same time tweaking students' scores as needed to ensure everyone received a passing grade (i.e., at least 50%) in their course. Further, teachers were drawing from the large-scale assessment instrument to guide their instruction.