Re: grading schemes

[John Clement <clement@HAL-PC.ORG>]

Modified raw score.  I do not curve ordinary test grades.  I do give the
students the opportunity to have some extra points.  Essentially the grade
is first calculated by means of a simple raw score based on 100 points.
Then to that I add a fixed number of points if the student turns in their
cheat card.  Each student is allowed to have a cheat 3x5 card with anything
they wish to write.  Regular students get a fixed 8 points and advanced 2.
Since each test covers a fairly broad range of material (4 weeks) the
students must understand and be able to apply the concepts.  The cheat card
reduces the anxiety over forgetting a particular formula.  The final is a
different matter.  Since I often include an evaluation as part of the final
(either FCI or FMCE) I generally scale the grades to get reasonable values.
The evaluation counts as less than 20% of the final score.

The evaluation generally shows that I am well within the gain range for an
interactive engagement course.  As a result I tolerate a little grade
inflation on the theory that my students are doing better than students in
an average HS physics course.  My final grades will tend toward the C+, B-
range on the average.  The final grade includes a large effort component, so
it is possible for students who do not do well on tests to get an OK but not
great grade.  The tests generally come out in the range of C- to B- and I
tell students that I do not give extra credit or curve tests in any way.
When they complain I say "Do better next time".  This is in a sense a
fiction, because I can and do adjust the grades some by the grading policy
on each test.  Since most students are seniors, I have only 2 to 3
tests/quarter and tests count 50-60%.  I tell them that this is preparation
for college where they might have only 1 or 2 tests/semester in some
courses.

My students are in general a broad cross section and are actually a group
fairly average.  Although I teach at a private school, it is not very
selective.  The very lowest students are missing from the pool, but about
50% of all students take physics which is up from about 30% four years ago
and probably 15% 7 or 8 years ago.  While there is a perception among
politicians and the general public that private schools can have stricter
standards, and produce better education, the reality is quite different.
Many parents take the point of view that they have paid for good grades and
that their little darlings should always get good grades.  As a result the
pressure to inflate grades is just as large in the private schools.  After
all the market pressure is from the parents, and once the student has left,
there is no way to tell how well they ultimately do.  The big blessing is
that I do not have to put up with the nonsense of teaching to standardized
state tests.  Instead I can concentrate on developing thinking skills, and
ultimately my students will do better.

I feel very strongly that when students think you will curve some of them
will slack off because they think that they can get the same grade with
lower effort.  Also curving can increase competition between students, and
decrease cooperative learning.  Since all of the research points to the
effectiveness of cooperative learning, it is vital that they learn to work
together to achieve higher grades for all.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

> Hi.
>
> How many of you assign (test) grades based on a "raw" score vs.
> some kind of "scaled" score? By "raw" score, I mean the ratio of
> points earned to total possible number of points. For example, if
> there are 60 possible points on a test and a students accumulates
> only 15 points, the raw score would be 25%, which is clearly a
> failing performance (isn't it?). How many of you take these raw
> scores and scale them somehow?
>
>
> Cheers,
> Joe