|
 |
Education Dive
Study: Tough teachers get better results from students
A Fordham analysis of grading standards set by Algebra I teachers shows
high expectations have long-term impacts and benefit all types of
students.
Shawna De La Rosa
Feb. 12, 2020
Teachers walk a fine line, says Jordan Catapano, an assistant principal
al James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
On one hand, he says, educators don't want to frustrate students by
setting standards so high an "A" is unattainable. But they also don't
want to bore students and leave them thinking the quality of their work
doesn't matter. The hope, he says, is students will "rise to the
occasion."
“The term 'tough teacher' can have a negative connotation,” he says.
“Ideally, a tough teacher is someone with high expectations about what
students can accomplish, but is also well-versed to guide and support
students along the way.”
These tough-grading teachers also seem to be on the right track,
according to a recent study by American University’s Seth Gershenson,
who analyzed grading standards of 8th- and 9th-grade Algebra I teachers
in North Carolina over a 10-year period and then looked at their
students’ long-term outcomes. He found students gained more knowledge
from teachers with rigorous grading standards than those with lower
expectations.
The study weighed the effect of grading standards on students’
end-of-course exam results, how the grading standards impacted
students’ performance in subsequent math courses, and how the impact
varied by students, schools and teachers. Gershenson also examined the
characteristics of schools and teachers that affect grading standards.
Higher standards yield better results
The research, published by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, is a
follow-up to Gershenson's 2018 study about grade inflation, in which he
found while many students get good grades in Algebra I, far fewer earn
top marks on end-of-course tests.
This newest study shows students whose teachers had the highest grading
standards scored 16.9% of a standard deviation over those with
low-expectation teachers. Tougher grading practices also translated
into higher achievement in the subsequent Geometry and Algebra II
courses. In Geometry, students whose teachers had high grading
standards in Algebra I scored 7.3% of the standard deviation. In
Algebra II, that group scored 8.6% of SD.
The results were consistent across all student subgroups including
white, black and Hispanic students. They were also consistent across
all types of schools, with the greatest impact seen in middle schools
and among high-poverty schools.
Teachers with more experience also tend to have higher grading
expectations, and their students achieve at higher levels. The report
found students with teachers who had four or fewer years of experience
had expectations significantly lower than average, but expectations
ticked up the longer teachers stayed in the profession. Those with more
than 21 years of experience had the highest expectations.
Bottom of Form
The undergraduate program a teacher attends also makes a difference,
according to the study. Teachers who graduated from selective colleges
and universities typically had higher standards, as did teachers with
graduate degrees.
Expectations highest at middle, suburban schools
Gershenson found grading standards were highest in suburban schools,
middle schools and schools serving more affluent students. But it's
also important to note middle school students that take Algebra I tend
to be higher academic performers.
In the executive summary, the Fordham Institute Senior Vice President
for Research Amber M. Northern and President Michael J. Petrilli assert
instruction and grading practices should be improved. They say teachers
can't be blamed for low grading expectations if they aren’t sure where
to set the bar.
Voices from teachers in the report also point to the variety of ways
grading is approached. One said, “[That teacher]’s more like, ‘They
look like they were working all day. I’ll just give them a checkmark.’
And I’m like, ‘You only scored 15 out of 20 on this assignment. Either
you need to fix these five or take your 15 out of 20.’ So each of us
have our own personalities and the way we run our classroom, so those
are different for sure.”
Northern and Petrilli also point out external factors put pressure on
teachers to go easier on the grades, especially in high school when
every grade counts toward the student’s final grade-point average. They
mention, for example, an incident in which a coach asked for a bump up
in a student athlete's grade so he could play in a football game.
With more colleges and universities looking beyond admission test
results for indicators of students' college readiness, those GPAs are
becoming even more important. As of January 2018, there were 1,000
ACT/SAT test optional colleges and universities.
"Grade-point averages will now matter even more," they write, "so it is
key that they be accurate representations of a student’s academic
performance."
Gershenson recommends school, district and state leaders monitor
grading practices to ensure teachers are not giving "easy A's," that
they address the "damaging consequences" of low grading standards, and
that they use grading practices as one aspect of strengthening the
teacher workforce.
"It will take time," he writes, "but we must learn how to make high
expectations and high grading standards a part of the teaching culture
through hands-on teaching, optimized incentives and stronger
professional development."
|
|
|
|
