Authors
- Don A. Klinger, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Te Wānanga Toi Tangata Division of Education; Professor of Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation, University of Waikato;
- Corrie Rebecca Klinger, Senior Research Fellow, University of Waikato
- Louis Volante, Professor of Education, Brock University
Listen to High school grades matter for post-secondary study, but is pandemic assessment fair?
As COVID-19 restrictions recede across much of the world, students have navigated changes in modes of learning (from virtual to in-person) and social protocols (for example, no masks).
Even as societies gradually return to normal, we are constantly reminded that COVID-19 is still very much in our communities. Regions are no longer reporting publicly on COVID-19 cases, but in schools, the continued circulation of the virus still means the possibility of ongoing extended absences for both teachers and students.
In response to pandemic schooling challenges, schools and school boards have implemented policies to minimize the negative impact of COVID-19 on students’ grades. Some have frozen students’ grades based on windows of uninterrupted learning, or made exams optional.
Yet the inconsistencies in these policies has undoubtedly led to challenges in terms of equity and fairness. Some high school students have voiced concerns about how their post-secondary choices could be affected as a result. University students have also raised issues about the fairness of grades.
The learning and assessment connection
A key priority in education is to provide children and youth with the opportunity to learn and to demonstrate that learning. As researchers who explore the role of assessment, student outcomes and education policy, we know that assessment matters not only to monitor students’ ongoing progress, but also to report on that progress and inform future instructional and educational decisions.
COVID-19 has been a reminder of the important factors that are beyond students’ control that influence achievement. It has put disparities between disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers into sharper focus: for example, educators have witnessed the learning barriers and inequities some students have faced due to differences in internet connectivity or supportive home learning environments.
Given these challenges, educators have sought alternate ways to provide students with opportunities to learn and to fairly report on that learning.
Despite these efforts, researchers project that COVID-19 has resulted in lower levels of learning in math and literacy in grade school students. If these trends are accurate, similar concerns could be valid for senior secondary school students.