Mastery-based contract grading is a holistic assessment approach for learning and grading in which students choose their desired effort and outcome by contracting for either an A or B to meet high academic standards. This mixed-methods study examined the impact of mastery-based contract grading on secondary students’ (grades 9–12) perceptions of stress and threat appraisal. Participants were 439 adolescents, including 284 returning students and 155 first-year students, completing a high-stakes writing assessment in their required English course. Using an explanatory sequential design, interviews with 40 adolescents from all grade levels and course types explained the findings of matched-pairs quantitative data generated from four psychometrically sound scales. The findings revealed that the contract significantly reduced evaluative threat by clarifying expectations and bolstering confidence. Consequently, compared to their prior experience with or expectations for the task, adolescents perceived workload demands as significantly less stressful and threatening under the contract. The findings of this study make a significant contribution to the field of writing assessment, leading to a call to action for teachers to implement mastery-based contract grading in high school classrooms to create psycho-emotionally healthy learning environments that reduce perceptions of stress and increase challenge appraisal.

基于精通的合同评分是一种用于学习和评分的整体评估方法，在该方法中，学生通过签约A或B来满足较高的学术水平，从而选择所需的工作和成果。这项混合方法的研究考察了基于精通的合同等级对中学生（9-12年级）对压力和威胁评估的感知的影响。参加者为439名青少年，其中包括284名归国留学生和155名一年级学生，他们完成了必修英语课程的高水平写作评估。使用解释性顺序设计，对来自所有年级和课程类型的40名青少年进行了访谈，解释了从四个心理计量表产生的配对配对定量数据的发现。调查结果表明，该合同通过澄清期望和增强信心，大大降低了评估威胁。因此，与他们先前对任务的经验或期望相比，青少年认为工作量需求大大减轻了合同带来的压力和威胁。这项研究的发现对写作评估领域做出了重大贡献，促使教师呼吁采取行动，在高中课堂上实施基于掌握的合同评分，以创建心理情绪健康的学习环境，从而减轻压力感并增加压力挑战评估。青少年认为工作量需求明显低于合同规定的压力和威胁。这项研究的发现对写作评估领域做出了重大贡献，促使教师采取行动，在高中课堂上实施基于掌握的合同评分，以创建心理情感健康的学习环境，从而减轻压力感并增加压力挑战评估。青少年认为工作量需求明显低于合同规定的压力和威胁。这项研究的发现对写作评估领域做出了重大贡献，促使教师采取行动，在高中课堂上实施基于掌握的合同评分，以创建心理情感健康的学习环境，从而减轻压力感并增加压力挑战评估。