Table 2 shows a positive change from the students’ pre- to post-survey in the mean for all items, with the exception of items 4 and 10. The mean for items 4 and 10 showed a negative change. Additionally, the standard deviation decreased for items 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, indicating more consistency in responses. The standard deviation for items 1, 2, 3, and 5 increased. The significance of such change is discussed in the interpretation section to follow. Table 2 Means and Standard Deviations of Student Pre- and Post-Surveys N M SD Statement 1. I understand standards-based grading. 16 16 3.625 4.000 0.500 0.632 2. I prefer standards-based grades over letter grades. 16 16 2.000 2.625 0.730 1.310 3. It is important to me to know how well my achievement meets the specific math standards for all 8th graders. 16 16 4.000 4.063 0.516 0.680 4. My performance on grade level standards is more important than letter grades. 16 16 3.063 2.813 0.680 0.655 5. My performance on standardized tests is more important than letter grades. 15 16 3.000 3.063 0.756 0.772 6. I understand the meaning of the standards-based scale. 16 16 3.250 3.688 0.856 0.793 7. I clearly see my academic strengths and weaknesses using the standards-based report card. 16 16 3.188 3.938 0.911 0.854 8. This report will help me improve my learning. 16 16 2.875 3.313 0.957 0.602 9. I understand the differences between the grading systems on a traditional and a standards-based 16 16 3.500 3.625 0.816 0.806 Pre- Pre- Pre-
report card. 10. This report card will give me more useful information about my achievement than the traditional report card did. 16 16 3.000 2.813 1.095 0.834 11. I understand the behavior scale. 16 16 3.750 4.438 1.000 0.727 12. I am able to get a sense of my work habits using the report card. 16 16 3.250 3.813 0.856 0.544 13. I am able to get a sense of my attitude in math class using the standards-based report card. 16 16 3.375 4.375 0.885 0.500 The results from Table 3 indicated a substantial increase (at least 25%) in the percentage of parents who either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” with items 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13. There was slight increase (less than 25%) in the percentage of parents who either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” with items 1, 2, 3, 6, and 10. Table 3 Parent Pre-Survey and Post-Survey Results Statement Response N Pre-Survey (%) N Post-Survey (%) 1. I understand standards-based grading. Strongly Agree (5) Agree (4) Neutral (3) Disagree (2) Strongly Disagree (1) 16 12.50 56.25 6.25 6.25 18.75 16 18.75 68.75 12.50 0.00 0.00 2. I prefer standards-based grades over letter grades. Strongly Agree (5) Agree (4) Neutral (3) Disagree (2) Strongly Disagree (1) 16 0.00 12.50 25.00 37.50 25.00 16 6.25 18.75 31.25 37.50 6.25 3. It is important to me to know how well my student’s achievement meets the specific math standards for all 8th graders. Strongly Agree (5) Agree (4) Neutral (3) Disagree (2) Strongly Disagree (1) 16 43.75 43.75 6.25 6.25 0.00 16 31.25 68.75 0.00 0.00 0.00 4. My student’s performance on grade level standards is more Strongly Agree (5) Agree (4) 16 6.25 37.50 16 6.25 25.00
3.375 on the pre-survey to 4.063 on the post-survey. This was an increase of 0.688. The p-value for this item was 0.026 indicating the increase in parents’ understanding was also statistically significant. The second area of focus for me was whether students and parents preferred grading over traditional letter grades. I was not surprised to see very few students (6.25%) and parents (12.5%) indicated they “agreed” with the statement, “I prefer standards-based grades over letter grades” on the pre-surveys. No parent or student indicated they “strongly agreed” with the statement. I was excited to see that over the course of the study there was an increase in this area for both students and parents. Figure 4 shows the percentage of students and parents who indicated they prefer standards-based grading on the pre- and post-surveys. Figure 4. Bar graph of students’ and parents’ preference for standards-based grading. The mean score on student surveys showed an increase of 0.625 with a p-value of 0.028, while the mean score for this statement on parent surveys showed a rise of 0.563 with a p-value of 0.012. The p-values indicate both student and parent increases in the mean score for this category were statistically significant. Although the percentages of parents and students who “agreed” or “strongly agreed” with the statement, “I prefer standards-based grades over letter grades,” on the post-survey were still in the minority; the increase was encouraging. The percentage of parents agreeing with the statement increased from 12.5% to 25% and the percentage of students increased from 6.25% to 31.25%. Next I wanted to determine if students and parents were able to identify areas of academic weakness and be able to improve or help their student improve on those areas. To investigate these issues, I focused on survey item 7, “I clearly see my academic strengths and weaknesses using the standards-based report card,” and item 8, “this report will help me improve