The Impact of a Mixed Grading Method on Middle Grade Students’ Achievements

Abstract

The Impact of a Mixed Grading Method on Middle Grade Students’ Achievements

Keywords: Standards-based grading, grading, mixed method grading, Earth Science

The purpose of this study was to determine if a mixed method grading system of standards-based grading with traditional grading would have an impact on 6^th grade Earth Science students’ achievement. This study adopted a one group pretest and posttest design and employed a mixed methods approach. The study consisted of 62 participants from a 6^th grade Earth Science class in an Atlanta suburb. For the quantitative data, a pre and post-test was given to students using the mixed method grading system before and after the Earth Science Unit to determine if the method had an impact on student learning. Qualitative data was also collected through student surveys regarding their knowledge of the two types of grading systems and which they preferred. Means, standards deviations, a t-test, and a correlation will be used to analyze the data. The results of the study may show that the mixed method grading system had an impact on the students’ knowledge of the Earth Science curriculum.