A Study to Determine Teacher Attitudes Towards Evaluation and Assessment of Students\u27 Progress and the Relationships of Student Grades With the Missouri Mastery and Achievement Test

The purpose of this study was to determine teachers\u27 attitudes towards student evaluation and assessment practices in terms of reporting students\u27 grades and testing. The study also investigated correlations and information pertaining to student grades received and percentiles as measured by the Missouri Mastery and Achievement Test of Basic Skills (MMAT). The areas of reading and mathematics for grades two, three, and four were used. Ninety-three teacher survey instruments were analyzed which indicated teachers share concerns in their views as to the MMAT\u27s inability to measure the most critical learning of children. Communication with parents was cited as most important to grading and evaluating students. Teachers addressed inconsistency as a problem in grade determination. A need for more uniform guidelines between both teachers and schools was suggested. The study also found that teachers\u27 feelings towards, and practices concerning, specific letter grades appear contradictory. This may indicate that further investigation of the numbers of students receiving high grades and what the implications of this might mean is warranted