Assessment and Grades

When tied to learning goals at the classroom level, grades are appropriate indicators of learning. In the context of program assessment, however, grades can be problematic. A grade or G.P.A., by itself, does not communicate what a student has learned.

At program levels, grades may communicate information that is only indirectly linked to learning, like attendance, effort, participation, or test-taking skills. These indicators are related to learning, but in many cases, students can achieve high grades due to factors that are only indirectly related to learning outcomes.

Program Improvement

Using grades in program assessment becomes more problematic in discussions with colleagues about program improvement. Assessment should be a collaborative process. It can be difficult to see what the average grades in a class or major, with no supporting information or context, communicates about what a student has learned.

Strategies

There are effective strategies for using grades in assessment. A good resource is Linda Nilson's Specifications Grading: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, and Saving Faculty Time. Further strategies and case studies are presented in Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment in College.