Grading

[originally published on History Survey on 6/16/2008]

I assign letter grades to papers, but I have to use numbers to calculate students' grades for the course. Here are the equivalents I use to do this math:

Anything above a 95 has to be amazing. Anything below a 70 is either a straight "D" or "F".

When it comes time to assign a grade for the course, though, I use 93 as a cut-off for a straight A, 83 for a straight B, etc., and 90 for an A-, 80 for a B-, and so on.

The Iron Law of Averages (Or What Happens When You Take a Zero)

[originally published on History Survey on 3/1/2008]

I understand when some students are unable to balance all of their responsibilities well enough to turn in less than their best effort. It disappoints me sometimes, but I evaluate the work, and the student gets credit for the exercise. But why do some students not submit their paper at all? A failing essay still earns half credit, but no essay earns nothing. It is possible to recover from one F and pass a course, but recovering from a zero is extremely difficult.

Imagine, for example, that you have four components to your course grade, each worth 25%, as is the case this semester. If you earn a C (75) in three of them, but only a zero in the fourth, your average will be 56.25%, that is, an F. What if that zero were an F (55) instead? Then the course average would be a 70 or low C-.

The moral of the story is clear. Turn in your work or the iron law of averages will get you.