131 Syllabus, Fall 1999

Grading for Math 131, Fall 2002

The material on this page applies to students in sections 1, 2, and 4. There are slight variations in the small section 3.

We do not set up a scale for converting numeric scores into a letter grade until after the final exam. This gives the instructors a little more flexibility and works in a student's favor.

The information below, however, will tell you what will go into computing your total score at the end of the course. Your letter grade will be based on your TOTAL SCORE.

Your TOTAL SCORE for the course will be based on your test and quiz scores as follows:

The four tests will each contain a total of 100 possible points. Your final exam score will replace your lowest earlier exam score if that helps you. (The final exam score cannot be replaced.)

Your quiz total will be rescaled based on a total of 150 points (to carry the same weight as 1.5 exams).

To illustrate, here's a sample calculation of the TOTAL SCORE for a hypothetical student:

Exam and Quiz Score Data for John Doe

Exam Scores      Exam 1    83 (out of 100)
                            Exam 2    68 (out of 100)
                            Exam 3    71 (out of 100)

FINAL 84 (out of 100)

Quiz Scores        Q1=6, Q2=6, Q3=3, Q4= . , Q5=4,
                            Q6=5, Q7= . , Q8=4, Q9 = . , Q10 = .
                            ( " . " indicates a missing quiz score: absent from discussion
                            section. These become 0's )

Calculation of TOTAL SCORE for John Doe

We count only 6 quizzes (see the syllabus section Discussion Sections and Quizzes) so there are 36 total possible quiz points. Only the 6 best quizzes will count, but we will discard at most 2 of the last 4 quizzes. Since John must keep at least 2 of the last 4 quiz scores, his quiz points will total
Q1 + Q2 + Q5 + Q6 + Q8 + Q10 = 6 + 6 + 4 + 5 + 4 + 0 = 25 out of a possible 36.
We want the quizzes to count as 1.5 exams (= 150 points) so we rescale John's quiz total using 25/36 = 104.17/150 (to two decimal places).
His Final Exam score (84) is better than his Exam 2 score (68), so we replace the 68 with 84.
So John has earned 83 + 84 + 71 + 84 + 104.17 = 426.17 points out of a possible 550.
John Doe's TOTAL SCORE = 426.17/550 = 77.49

So what is his letter grade for the course? The instructors will not determine how 77.49 translates into a letter grade until after the final. The information below gives some guidelines to help John think about letter grades.

A final formula for converting %'s into letter grades will not be determined until after the final. However, the following will give you some general guidelines about final letter grades:

You will need a TOTAL SCORE score of 50% to pass (grade of D or better). We feel that about half the material on the tests and quizzes covers "basic competency" material so that this is a fair cutoff for getting credit for the course.

The "middle" grade in Math 131 in recent years has been in the vicinity of B- /C+ . Based on the instructors' evaluation of the classes this could change up or down, but we have no reason, a priori, to expect it to do so.

The following letter grades are guaranteed. The ultimate scale for converting TOTAL SCORE into a letter grade might be more generous, but there is no assurance of that.

TOTAL SCORE GUARANTEED LETTER GRADE
(possibly with a "+" or " -" attached)

90% - 100 % A

80% - 89.99% B

65% - 79.99% C

50% - 64.99% D

Below 50% NCR (F)

Students taking the course with the "Credit/No Credit" ("Pass/Fail") grading option must earn a grade of "D" or better to receive a "pass".
Any students taking the course on an "audit" basis must talk with their instructors
to determine what criteria will be used award a grade of "successful audit."

TOTAL SCORE	GUARANTEED LETTER GRADE (possibly with a "+" or " -" attached)
90% - 100 %	A
80% - 89.99%	B
65% - 79.99%	C
50% - 64.99%	D
Below 50%	NCR (F)