Chapter 2: Examining Inequities in Grading Practices to Empower the Disadvantaged Learner: A Global Perspective

The achievement gap is intricately linked to a wide range of racial, cultural, and socioeconomic inequities including poverty levels. Undoubtedly sociocultural factors impact curriculum treatments, pedagogical practices, as well as assessment and evaluation processes that seek to provide a realistic account for student learning outcomes. A manifestation of inequities in schools may be reflected in the way teachers assess learning and teaching outcomes that are biased against diverse student populations. One of the key indicators that reflect inequitable assessment and evaluation of disadvantaged and poor student populations involves teachers’ grading practices in low poverty and high poverty schools. In particular, students in high-poverty schools may be assessed and graded more subjectively than students from low-poverty schools, leading to inequitable outcomes. Using theoretical frameworks derived from Paulo Freire’s (1996) critical pedagogy and McMillan’s (2003) teacher grading decision-making process, this study examines the role of poverty in the teacher grading process. This examination took place in a diverse school district located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, and it used teacher focus group interviews from three different school poverty levels. Data were analyzed with a constant comparative method to produce three significant themes that together explain reasons for inequitable practices: desire to promote student success, balancing a broad range of grading philosophies and beliefs, and teacher pressures. Keeping the Sustainable Development Goals 4 in mind, this study explores the place of poverty and its impact on evaluation and assessment practices and draws implications for equitable pedagogical approaches that empower all students in global diverse settings. Implications for integrating meaningful and equitable assessment and grading practices are drawn along with providing models for interpreting teacher grading rationales pertinent to the impact of poverty on teacher grading decision making.