rjung@sal1.usc.edu (Robert Jung) (03/17/88)
(Okay, this probably doesn't belong in rec.humor.d anymore, but I wanted to throw my $0.02 in...) I always thought "grading on a curve" meant the following: 1. Design test. 2. Grade tests (numeric scores). 3. Get highest numeric score (call it x) 4. Work out grades as follows: 1.00x - 0.9x = A 0.89x - 0.8x = B 0.79x - 0.7x = C 0.69x - 0.6x = D anything worse = Fail This way, if the test is exceptionally hard, the student's aren't penalized. The numeric breakdown separates the chaff from the wheat, and your smart students *are* rewarded... DISCLAIMER: I am in no way, shape, or form an educator of some kind. This is just my concept of "fair grading" (HA!) --R.J. B-) P.S. Okay, a joke for all the rec.humorists out there: How do you determine the sex of a chromosome? You pull down its genes. <=====================================><=====================================> Disclaimer: These ideas are all mine! Mineminemineminemineminemineminemine! Send e-junk-mail through Bitnet to rjung@castor.usc.edu
mchin@homxc.UUCP (M.CHIN) (03/17/88)
Personally, I always used the following definition of a curve. 1) Grade all the tests. 2) Find the mean. 3) Find the standard deviation. 4) For your standard 'C' centered course, a C is the mean B is one standard deviation up. A is everything above two standard deviations. D is one stand deviation down. F is everything below two standard deviations. Although this didn't always hold true, it gave me a rough estimate of what my grade was going to be. I liked this definition because it allowed me to figure out the curve for non-C centered courses. A B/C centered courses placed the mean at the B/C level. Everything above within one standard deviation was a B. Made A centered courses real nice. Michael Chin ihnp4!homxc!mchin
cmr@m2-net.UUCP (Chuck Rader) (03/20/88)
[Note that the only attempt at humor is in the summary line and follow-ups are directed to comp.edu] When I was an undergrad here at U of D in the late seventies, several Management Science instructors ran their students' test score through a computer program to calculate the mean, variance and standard deviation. The cutoffs for each grade were determined by the standard deviation, with C centered on the mean.