How Your Grades Are Determined

Percentages: In each course I will tell you on the information sheet what items will be used to determine your grade, and what percentages are assigned to each. In the example below, the Final exam is worth 30%, the Midterm exams are worth 12% each, the homework is worth 36%, and the projects are worth 10%.

Grading Scales: Each graded item has its own grading scale. For exams I do not decide on the grading scale until after I see the results of the exam; in that sense the grades are "curved". My standard grading scale for exams is A: 85, B: 70, C: 55, D: 50, but I will change it whenever I think it's appropriate to use something else. In the example below,

• the first midterm has a scale of A:42, B:35, C:28, D:26 (out of 50)
• the second midterm has a scale of A:43, B:36, C:28, D:26 (out of 50)
• the final exam has a scale of A:170, B:140, C:110, D:100 (out of 200)
• the projects have a scale of A:10, B:8, C:6, D:5
• the homework (HWAvg) has a grading scale of A:100, B:80, C: 60, D:50

 
Spreadsheet: I record all the grades and grading scales on a spreadsheet. There are five extra "students": Max, A, B, C, and D.  For Max I record the number of points on which the grades are based. (This isn't a true maximum as students sometimes score higher than this number, especially for homework.) The numbers for the grading scales are entered for A, B, C, and D.
    Notice that I never enter a letter grade for anything, just a numerical score. So when Sally Smurkle received a 34 on the first midterm, which was one point short of a B, it was not recorded as a C. This means that Sally only needs to make up that one point somewhere else if she wants to get a B for the class.

Totals: I enter into the spreadsheet a formula to calculate the total points (on a basis of 100) for each student, including the five extra "students". This formula must make sure that each item actually counts for the advertised percentage of your grade. In this case the formula used was Total = 0.12*2*(Mid1+Mid2)+0.3*Final/2+Project+0.36*HWAvg. The Max points must total to 100; making sure of this prevents mistakes in the formula for the Total.

Grades: Assigning grades is now simple in principle. In order to get an A, you must get at least as many points as the "A" student, similarly for B, C, and D. If you have fewer points than the "D" student, you receive an F. Five students (with their names changed) are included so you can see some actual examples.

Adjustments: When a student is very close to, but slightly below, the required number of points, I will often give the higher grade anyway. This was the case with Sally Smurkle above, who received 74.66 when 74.84 was required for a B. Since Sally generally did B to C+ work but had one bad midterm exam, it made sense to give a B. But it could have gone either way.

Passing Grades: In order to earn a passing grade you must pass at least one exam, as well as earning a passing grade through points. In other words, if you fail all exams, you will receive an F for the course, regardless of what your point total says.