Most CPS ninth-grade math teachers used two or three grading category families, averaging 2.43 families per section¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · 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¶

q2 i? About 80 percent of sections used two or three grading category families; the average number of families was 2.43 while the average number of unique titles was 3.78. → 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 Gradebook records for 1,804 sections (Figure 1). The report states "The average number of category families used in ninth-grade math sections was 2.43" and attributes the pattern to teachers' grading preferences and practices.

"The average number of category families used in ninth-grade math sections was 2.43; most teachers used two or three grading category families"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• 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
• In 2016-17 CPS ninth-grade math sections, 98 percent of teachers altered or created grading category titles rather than using Gradebook's defaults, producing 709 unique category titles — 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
• 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
• 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