Rural High School Principals and the Challenge of Standards-Based Grading

Abstract

<jats:p>The purpose of this study was to better understand how principals in rural schools are thinking about assessment and grading practices and if they anticipate implementing policy changes in the near future that may require increased support. Principals of schools in rural areas often face challenges that are significantly different from those of their urban and suburban counterparts. The researchers used a mixed-method survey to better understand if progressive grading policies were a part of the vision for principals of rural high schools, if they possessed conceptual underpinnings of such practices, and if they believed they had the capacity within their districts to lead teachers toward more effective grading policies. A high frequency of high school principals in rural schools said standards-based grading (SBG) was a part of their 5-year vision. These principals also showed relatively high mean scores of standards-based assessment literacy, and moderately high percentages believed they have the resources and capacity to support SBG. The researchers thus conclude that there is a high likelihood that many rural high schools will be implementing some form of SBG within the next 5 years.</jats:p>

Grading Between the Locales: Socioeconomic Status and Ninth-Grade Course Failures

“…For instance, if a ninth-grade student transitions from an urban or suburban institution to a rural school, their susceptibility to course failure increases. Such observations corroborate previous findings, underscoring the imperative for rural schools to be equipped with grading methodologies that are objective, precise, and impervious to biases from professional development (Buckmiller et al, 2020;Feldman, 2018;Morris & McKenzie, 2023). While educators in rural settings are inclined toward SBG practices, they often confront uncertainties regarding its implementation, primarily attributed to the financial constraints of rural institutions (Dhaliwal & Bruno, 2021).…”

“…In response, many educational institutions are gravitating toward "standards-based grading" (SBG), which evaluates students exclusively on their mastery of content (Link & Guskey, 2022). Yet, the consistency in implementing SBG varies across schools (Buckmiller et al, 2020;Morris & McKenzie, 2023). While comprehensive studies on the direct impact of SBG are scant, experts in the field believe SBG can heighten student motivation and simplify grading processes for educators (Guskey & Brookhart, 2019).…”

“…While the desire among rural Arkansas educators may lean toward assessing students based purely on their academic competenciesmirroring the sentiments found among rural Iowa educators in Buckmiller et al (2020)-the prevailing challenge remains. These educators cite insufficient resources and professional development funding as hurdles to implementing fairer grading practices (Morris & McKenzie, 2023).…”