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¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr2·q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2024: local conditions change quickly
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? The most common point score for a given grade was the minimum for that grade; many students on the border moved up into the next higher letter grade, but the data cannot show how. → 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
Distributional analysis of 32,234 combined fall and spring final course grade scores (Figure 2). The report states "the most common point score for a given grade was the minimum for that grade" and lists possible explanations such as rounding up or extra credit opportunities.
"Many students earned the fewest possible points that would earn a higher grade. In fact, the most common point score for a given grade was the minimum for that grade."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- 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 — related
- Most CPS ninth-grade math teachers used two or three grading category families, averaging 2.43 families per section — 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
- Ninth-grade math teachers on average weighted assessments most heavily (57%), assignments next (36%), and behavior little (7%) — 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
- Final-test score distributions concentrated differently by group: the ChatGPT class peaked at interval 79-83 (32.26% of students) while the control class peaked at 56-61 (25.81%) — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
cps-gradebook-cusp-grades-higher-grade-peaks |
title |
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 |
description |
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 |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2021 |
recheck_by |
2024 |
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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