Does a changed grading scale affect mean GPA - A descriptive analysis of the 2011 grading scale reform in the Swedish upper secondary school

Abstract

That students receive accurate grades is of high importance, both for employers that want to hire productive workers and for university admission. Grades can also be used as a motivation for students to perform better, and different formulations of the grading scale is likely to have different motivational effects. Still, very little research has been done on the effects of the changed grading scale in the Swedish upper secondary school of 2011. The aim of this thesis is to examine changes in mean grade point average (GPA) in the Swedish upper secondary school after the implementation of the new grading scale, and to examine if there are any indications of the new grading scale having any motivational effects. We find that the mean GPA has decreased after the implementation of the new grading scale. We also find indications on that higher achieving programmes have had a smaller decrease in mean GPA, which could indicate that the new stricter grading scale has had a motivational effect on high achieving students. Keywords: grading practices, effects on GPA, educational incentives, student performance, Swedish upper secondary school