Grades over 100%

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Maybe it is a bad concept. Maybe weighting/adjusting to fit a curve makes more sense. I don't have the experience to say. I know my grades wouldn't have significantly changed though (would have just been brough to 100).
 
some private institutions in US are really gpa friendly-.-
 
Personally, I think grading on a curve is not right. If 60% of the class understands the material well enough to get an A on an exam, then either the exam was too easy, or the professor teaches the material very well. It's one thing to have an adjusted grading scale (as was the case in classes like advanced organic at my school, where on the first test, the highest score was like 50%) so it's reasonable not to fail if you do the work, but grading on a curve doesn't exactly foster students helping each other out.
 
Personally, I think grading on a curve is not right. If 60% of the class understands the material well enough to get an A on an exam, then either the exam was too easy, or the professor teaches the material very well. It's one thing to have an adjusted grading scale (as was the case in classes like advanced organic at my school, where on the first test, the highest score was like 50%) so it's reasonable not to fail if you do the work, but grading on a curve doesn't exactly foster students helping each other out.

I agree. Then again I am in a class right now that has no curve and the class average is at 65%. I am at about 80%. The professor said he is thinking about doing a curve since everyone is so low. I this case I think it is necessary.
 
Personally, I think grading on a curve is not right. If 60% of the class understands the material well enough to get an A on an exam, then either the exam was too easy, or the professor teaches the material very well. It's one thing to have an adjusted grading scale (as was the case in classes like advanced organic at my school, where on the first test, the highest score was like 50%) so it's reasonable not to fail if you do the work, but grading on a curve doesn't exactly foster students helping each other out.

I dunno how other schools do it but when a prof around here says the class is curved they basically just adjust the scale so that the curve can only help you. They usually aim for 20%A, 30%B, etc but if 25% have A but everyone else is failing, they'll let all 25% keep their As and just bring everyone else up.
It's not a true curve since it can't hurt you, only help
 
I agree. Then again I am in a class right now that has no curve and the class average is at 65%. I am at about 80%. The professor said he is thinking about doing a curve since everyone is so low. I this case I think it is necessary.


the class average for almost all my classes in undergrad is 65-.-🙄
 
I dunno how other schools do it but when a prof around here says the class is curved they basically just adjust the scale so that the curve can only help you. They usually aim for 20%A, 30%B, etc but if 25% have A but everyone else is failing, they'll let all 25% keep their As and just bring everyone else up.
It's not a true curve since it can't hurt you, only help

yea. this style is good, although it still doesnt really foster teamwork. but ive witnessed a class where all students take 4 marks off their final grade because the class average was slightly above 70, (higher than the C+ high 60s that the class had always been at for the past years)
 
I resent that 😡 lol jk, but you are right his tests are out of 110%. It is really easy to get over a 100 in the class, but I like to think I am just smart 😀

Oh, I see. And most tests go up to 100%?

Exactly.

Does that mean you're smarter? Are you any smarter?

Well, it's ten better, isn't it? It's not 100%. You see, most blokes, you know, will be scoring up to 100%. You're on 100% here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up in your class. Where can you go from there? Where?

I don't know.

Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?

Put it up to 110%.

110%. Exactly. Ten more.

Why don't you just make 100% the perfect score and make 100% be the top number?

(pause)

This test goes to 110%.
 
Hypnotist: You are all very good players
Team: We are all very good players.
Hypnotist: You will beat Shelbyville.
Team: We will beat Shelbyville.
Hypnotist: You will give 110 percent.
Team: That's impossible no one can give more than 100 percent. By definition that's the most any one can give
 
Oh, I see. And most tests go up to 100%?

Exactly.

Does that mean you're smarter? Are you any smarter?

Well, it's ten better, isn't it? It's not 100%. You see, most blokes, you know, will be scoring up to 100%. You're on 100% here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up in your class. Where can you go from there? Where?

I don't know.

Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?

Put it up to 110%.

110%. Exactly. Ten more.

Why don't you just make 100% the perfect score and make 100% be the top number?

(pause)

This test goes to 110%.

Long day? 😀
 
Personally, I think grading on a curve is not right. If 60% of the class understands the material well enough to get an A on an exam, then either the exam was too easy, or the professor teaches the material very well. It's one thing to have an adjusted grading scale (as was the case in classes like advanced organic at my school, where on the first test, the highest score was like 50%) so it's reasonable not to fail if you do the work, but grading on a curve doesn't exactly foster students helping each other out.

I think curving to the average of previous years is a good idea -- perhaps using the current year's averages with some weight to control for differences from year to year. This way your entire class could end up w/ an A and it is to their advantage to work together, although that work may hurt the following year....
 
Top