In CPS ninth-grade math sections using mastery-based or weekly grading, those categories determined nearly all of the final grade; otherwise assessments carried the highest weight, with a median of 60 percent exceeding the CPS/CTU 50 percent recommendation¶
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Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
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q2 i? Median final-grade weights were 60.0 percent for assessments, 80.0 for mastery-based, and 100.0 for weekly categories; the assessment median exceeded the CPS/CTU guideline that no single category exceed 50 percent. → Diaz 2021
Evidence¶
Diaz 2021¶
Diaz, B., & Easton, J.Q. (2021). CPS Gradebook Technical Report. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/CPS-gradebook-technical-report
q2 · i? · associational · r2
Descriptive analysis of section/category family/student records (N=86,533, Table 3). The report states "our median assessment category family weighting of 60.0 percent exceeded the CPS/CTU recommendation" and that mastery-based or weekly families determined nearly all the final grade where used.
"our median assessment category family weighting of 60.0 percent exceeded the CPS/CTU recommendation that no single category should exceed 50 percent of the total weighting"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Higher weights on assessments shrank, but did not eliminate, the gender difference in final grades, because young women were more often in classes weighting assessments heavily — related
- Ninth-grade math teachers on average weighted assessments most heavily (57%), assignments next (36%), and behavior little (7%) — related
- CPS ninth-grade math final grade distributions show sharp peaks at 60, 70, 80, and 90 points, with students on the cusp between two grades much more likely to receive the higher grade — related
- CPS ninth-grade math category families typically contained many tasks per semester—about 11 in assessments and 28 in assignments—except weekly categories, which typically contained only four tasks — related
- Sixty-five percent of CPS ninth-grade math sections used Gradebook's default Total Points Logic ON setting, aggregating task scores by total points earned over total points possible — related
- In eSpark quests requiring three post-quiz attempts, students reached the 80 percent mastery criterion only 14 percent of the time — related
- Students report that tests dominate assessment, carry too much weight, and create stress, while extended performance-based assessments offer better opportunities to learn and showcase learning — related
- MLME student grades improved across the three course years, shifting from a 60–85 range with a median around 75 in Fall 2021 to concentrations in the high 80s and low 90s by Fall 2023 — related
- Most CPS ninth-grade math teachers used two or three grading category families, averaging 2.43 families per section — related
- Student mastery increased modestly from 17.5% to 19.2% during TEAM Student implementation — related
- Young women outperformed young men in every grading category family in unweighted points, with the largest gap in assignments and smallest in assessments; weighting reversed this ordering — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
cps-gradebook-category-weights-assessments-dominate |
title |
In CPS ninth-grade math sections using mastery-based or weekly grading, those categories determined nearly all of the final grade; otherwise assessments carried the highest weight, with a median of 60 percent exceeding the CPS/CTU 50 percent recommendation |
description |
In CPS ninth-grade math sections using mastery-based or weekly grading, those categories determined nearly all of the final grade; otherwise assessments carried the highest weight, with a median of 60 percent exceedin... |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2021 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-08 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — diaz-2021 |
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