A Thousand Teachers Were Asked About ‘Equitable’ Grading. Most Didn’t Like It
A recent survey of nearly 1,000 K-12 teachers found that about half had seen “equitable” grading policies used in their school or district and most reported the approach hurt academic engagement.
Equitable grading practices strive to make grades more accurate and fair by removing bias and separating behaviors — like handing in a late paper — from academic mastery or understanding the subject matter. The educators were polled as part of the first nationally representative teacher survey on the issue that was conducted by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in partnership with RAND.
“Lenient grading, grade inflation. It kind of feels like maybe it doesn’t really matter that much, and it’s a victimless crime or something,” said Adam Tyner, who authored an August report on the survey and is the national research director at the Fordham Institute, a right-leaning education reform think tank. “But it actually has real consequences for students.”
He pointed to research demonstrating that when teachers lower standards, students learn less.
“I hope people will listen to the teachers and really take it seriously that there are legitimate concerns with some of these policies that need to be aired out and discussed,” he added.
At a webinar last week hosted by the Fordham Institute and education nonprofit TNTP, researchers met to discuss the report’s findings. Adam Maier, analytics director at TNTP, noted that “these practices are attempting to solve a real problem.”
Read more at The 74.
Stay in the Know
Sign up for updates on our latest research, insights, and high-impact work.
"*" indicates required fields
A teacher leads a one-on-one reading session focused on strategy and engagement.
About TNTP
TNTP is the nation’s leading research, policy, and consulting organization dedicated to transforming America’s public education system so that every young person thrives.
Today, we work side-by-side with educators, system leaders, and communities across the nation to reach ambitious goals for student success.
Yet the possibilities we imagine push far beyond the walls of school and the education field alone. We are catalyzing a movement across sectors to create multiple pathways for young people to achieve academic, economic, and social mobility.