Norm-referenced assessment (NRA) in teaching staff grading
المؤلف:
Mary-Jane Taylor & Coralie McCormack
المصدر:
Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Assessment
الجزء والصفحة:
P74-C7
2025-06-12
578
Norm-referenced assessment (NRA) in teaching staff's grading
Although many teaching staff and students seemed to dislike the University's NRA, they still adhered to it. The reason behind this was mainly because of the following administrative protocol and legacy.
From the focus group interviews, teaching staff felt that the University's grade distribution (Figure 2 in Grading descriptors) was only a guideline to be used when grading. However, in actual practice, departments take this more seriously. In each department there is a SARP (Subject Assessment Review Panel) and a BoE (Board of Examiners). These exist to formally agree and finalize subject results (the SARP), and to agree, and finalize results for awards (the BoE). The SARP and BoE therefore monitor and ensure grading is fair and equitable, and they also make reference to the indictors (Figure 2 in Grading descriptors for the SARP and Figure 3 in Grading descriptors for the BoE). The following comment emphasized the pressure that staff are subjected to if their results do not conform to the indicators:
"Subject grades are dealt with at the departmental level first, the SARP is the departmental body for finalizing subject grades, the Chairman may ask us why our grades do not fall within the distribution, why are they not normal, then we have to justify this." (Teacher, Department F)
Another reason as to why teaching staff followed the grading distribution guidelines was historical. From the focus group interviews, it seems that most departments have not developed their own criteria and have not considered the fact that they need to do so. In fact, the public examinations which local students need to pass through before they can enter University are using NRA. NRA seems to be the grading culture in the local education system, embedded in the mindset of teaching staff and students alike, which has been transferred to the universities.
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