Ardmore_Sooner
3/7/2007, 10:00 PM
My teacher in one of my classes grades on a bell shaped curve and need help determining my grade thus far... I have a 79% the class average is a 70%. Here is the way grades work....
Grades are not based on a fixed percentage of exam points; letter grades are based on class rank (i.e., a 'curve'). That is, the top 15% of the class will receive an A, the next 20% B, the next 30% C, the next 20% D, and the bottom 15% F. At the end of the semester, the exam points (500 being the maximum possible) for each student are totaled and the point totals are ranked from highest to lowest. Grade boundaries, based on the curve, are then determined. Your scaled bonus points (out of 50) are then added to the exam points, and may have the effect of lifting your point total above a grade boundary (e.g., if you have a middle B from the exams your bonus points may lift you above the A/B grade boundary). This is not trivial or insignificant; typically about one half of the students (those who make the effort and regularly attend class!) receive a higher letter grade due to their bonus points. REPEAT: Grades are NOT decided on a 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, 0-59 = F basis, or any other fixed scale.
Any help, I hate stats!
PS: Just forget all the bonus stuff.
Grades are not based on a fixed percentage of exam points; letter grades are based on class rank (i.e., a 'curve'). That is, the top 15% of the class will receive an A, the next 20% B, the next 30% C, the next 20% D, and the bottom 15% F. At the end of the semester, the exam points (500 being the maximum possible) for each student are totaled and the point totals are ranked from highest to lowest. Grade boundaries, based on the curve, are then determined. Your scaled bonus points (out of 50) are then added to the exam points, and may have the effect of lifting your point total above a grade boundary (e.g., if you have a middle B from the exams your bonus points may lift you above the A/B grade boundary). This is not trivial or insignificant; typically about one half of the students (those who make the effort and regularly attend class!) receive a higher letter grade due to their bonus points. REPEAT: Grades are NOT decided on a 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, 0-59 = F basis, or any other fixed scale.
Any help, I hate stats!
PS: Just forget all the bonus stuff.