Methods of Interpreting Test Scores(Grade Norms )

ByDR.SHAZIA ZAMIR

Grading, like testing, is necessary procedure; the progress and achievement of students must be reported to parents and other, and grading serves this purpose.

Definition and PurposeA grade is an alphabetical and

numerical symbol, or mark, that indicates the degree to which intended outcomes have been achieved.

The major purpose of grades is to communicate how well a student is doing in the various subject areas.

Another purpose often attributed grades is that they serve as a motivator for student’s performance.

Grades also serve as an indication of achievement to be expected in the future; past performance is the best single predictor of future performance.

The major objection is that there is considerable variability in the meaning of a given grade; further, there are so many different methods of grading and diversity of symbols that is difficult to interpret exactly what a given set of grades means.

A second serious charge made by opponents of grading is that it is basically an inhuman process with many negative effects; some parents and teacher use them negatively and the pressures on students can produce negative behaviors as a result.

As for the pressure grades place on students, it can be argued that a reasonable amount of pressure leads to increase the achievement.

General principles of grading

Grades should be based on a sufficient amount of valid data systematically collected over a period of time.

Any given test represents a sampling of behavior; thus, a grade based on a combination of a number of test score is more likely accurately reflect a student’s achievement level than a grade based on a single test score.

Students should know in advance which grades “count” and which do not, and should be informed concerning how final grades will be determined and on what basis.

A final grade may be based on a combination of any number of factors such as written tests and various procedures and products.

Grading is usually done on relative basis; that is, achievement is labeled as “good” or “poor” in relation to the performance of the total group.

Grading represents a complex combination of achievement and effort; achievement is assessed partly in relation to objective standards and partly in relation to performance of other students.

Methods of gradingUsers of grades, such as admission

personnel and employers, invariably prefer norm-referenced, relative grading systems.

Percent GradingPercent grading involves averaging

scores and converting them to a percent.

The percent itself may be reported as the grade, e.g., History, 84%, or the percent may be translated into a letter grade equivalent (e.g., A=94-100%).

Grade NormsNorms provide a useful frame of

reference for interpreting test scores. Determining whether a candidate's score is high or low is made possible by comparing his or her score to the scores obtained by other examinees in a relevant group. This comparison can be "built-in" by converting raw scores to percentile scores.

Norm-referenced grading

Norm-referenced grading involves rank ordering students and expressing a given student’s in relation to the achievement of the rest of the class; in essence, the rest of the class; in essence, the rest of the class serves as the norm group.

A norm-referenced grade does not communicate what a student has actually achieved but rather how a student’s achievement compared to the achievement of others in the class.

Criterion-referenced grading

Criterion-referenced grading involves expressing a student’s achievement in relation to pre-specified rather than the achievement of others in the class.

Pass-Fail Grading

Available evidence indicates that a pass-fail system usually results in a reduction of achievement levels; quite naturally, students are less motivated to do well in such courses and devote most of their energies to those courses in which they will receive a letter grade.

Pass-fail grading does not fulfill any of the purposes of grading—communication, motivation, and prediction.

Types of grading symbols

The most commonly used alphabetical norm-referenced symbols are the letter grades A, B, C, D, and E (or F) and P and F (for pass and fail); the most commonly used numerical symbols are percents (e.g., 80%, 90%, 100%).

Alternative to gradingGrades are sometimes supplemented by

checklists, rankings, and reports of objectives achieved.

The two frequently suggested substitutes for grades are letters, or written reports, and parent-teacher conferences.