Micro 301- Grading System

The information provided below is designed to inform you in advance how you will be graded. We believe the approach taken has a number of advantages for you. The first element in this approach is that the standards by which grades are to be determined in this course are set in advance. The second element is that your grade will be decided by your level of performance in relation to the material in the course, not in relation to all of the other students in the course. There are no limits to the number or proportion of students who can achieve any numerical grade. Finally, with this system it will be possible for you to approximate your current numerical grade based on the exams taken up to a particular time. We expect that the present system will remove much of the uncertainty that is usually associated with grading.

There will be two midterms and one final, all multiple choice. The tests will cover the lectures indicated on the syllabus. The final will be comprehensive with the main emphasis on the last section of the course.

The grade you receive will be determined by your performance relative to the set of standards given below. These preset standards give the equivalence between the percentage of correct answers attained over all the exams and the numerical grade you will receive. There are two considerations you should know relative to these standards.

a. The percentage grade and hence the numerical grade you receive will not be based on an absolute standard. The 100% level for the quarter will be set by the average grade received for all three examinations by the top 5 undergraduates in the course. Thus, if the top 5 undergraduates averaged 108 out of a total of 135 questions during the quarter, then 108 points will be set as the 100% level. This step serves to adjust the exams for their difficulty.

b. To pass the course we have decided you must achieve a 50% or greater score, i.e., 50% or more of the number used to establish the 100% level as noted above. Therefore, we have set 50% as equivalent to the lowest passing numerical grade of 0.7. The remainder of the scale rises in uniform increments.

Equivalence Between the Percentage Achieved

and the Numerical Grade

%
Grade
%
Grade
%
Grade
98 or greater
4.0
83
3.0
68
2.0
96.5
3.9
81.5
2.9
66.5
1.9
95
3.8
80
2.8
65
1.8
93.5
3.7
78.5
2.7
63.5
1.7
92
3.6
77
2.6
62
1.6
90.5
3.5
75.5
2.5
60.5
1.5
89
3.4
74
2.4
59
1.4
87.5
3.3
72.5
2.3
57.5
1.3
86
3.2
71
2.2
56
1.2
84.5
3.1
69.5
2.1
54.5
1.1

53
1.0

51.5
0.9

50.1
0.8

50
0.7

In determining the numerical grade the table will be used as follows: Fifty percent will yield a numeric grade of 0.7. From 50.1 through 51.4 the grade will be 0.8; 51.5 through 52.9 a grade of 0.9, etc., and finally, 98 through 100 or more a grade of 4.0. A grade of 49.9% or less equals a grade of 0.0.