The Accuracies of Assessment-based Grading Compared with Total-points Grading Practices in Secondary Math Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlational relationship between classroom grades and standardized test scores for Grade 8 math students. Grading plays a central role in the field of education; this study was significant as it addressed a gap in grading research comparing two current grading methods, and provided an evidence-based discussion on grading practices. The classroom grades for 56 Grade 8 math students were calculated from the same classroom assignment and assessment scores using two grading strategies, a total-points method and an assessment-based grading method, with consideration of summative test retake scores. The assessment-based grading method explicitly employs tenets of Bloom’s (1968) theory of learning for mastery. A correlational analysis found a positive relationship between all classroom grades from both total-points and assessment-based grading methods and standardized MAP math test scores. A Pearson correlation analysis determined the strongest statistically significant relationship was between total-points classroom grades and standardized MAP math test scores. Of the grading systems analyzed, the traditional total-points grades were the best representation of student learning when measured against standardized test scores