Testing and Grading Practices and Opinions in the Nineties: 1890s or 1990s?

A statewide survey of 536 randomly selected Virginia secondary school teachers of academic subjects explored practices and opinions concerning various aspects of classroom testing and grading. The main focus was on the use of preestablished percentage scales as a basis for evaluating students. The responses suggested that large proportions of teachers hold opinions and pursue practices contrary to what many measurement specialists would recommend. Cluster analysis identified a small group of teachers whose opinions were largely consistent with what measurement specialists would recommend. This group differed from five other cluster groups in that it contained a disproportionate number of mathematics and science teachers and its mean years of out-of-state experience was substantially greater than that of any other group. Opinions and practices characterizing each of the other groups were extremely diverse. Some groups held views that might be considered inconsistent or self-contradictory. These findings led to the recommendation that the study questionnaire be adapted for administration to groups undergoing inservice training in measurement to facilitate focusing instruction according to the characteristics of each group. Seven tables and one figure present study findings. Four appendixes contain the survey instrument, a follow-up request, and proposed instruments for other research and inservice training. (Author/SLD)