Your grade for Math 131 will be based on exam scores, quiz scores and scores from WeBWork homework. These scores will be combined to produce your TOTAL SCORE (a percent) for the course. There will not be a scale for converting your TOTAL SCORE into a letter grade until after the final exam. This gives the instructor a little more flexibility. The flexibility most often works in the students' favor--I probably would be more conservative with the grading scale if I had to nail it down in advance.
However, some guidelines are available. The information below tells you how your TOTAL SCORE will be calcuated at the end of the course and gives some information about how that score will be converted, at the end, into a letter grade.
To illustrate, here's the calculation of the TOTAL SCORE for John Doe.
- The 4 exams will be based on 100 points each. Each of the exam scores will be weighted to count as 18% of your TOTAL SCORE. Your final exam score will replace your lowest previous exam score unless your final exam is your lowest exam score. The final exam score cannot be replaced.
- Your quiz total will be rescaled to a basis of 100 points and will contribute 18% toward your TOTAL SCORE. (See the material on Discussion Sections about scoring quizzes.)
- Your Webwork points will be totaled and to a percent WEBSCORE. WEBSCORE will contribute 10% toward your TOTAL SCORE. (See Webwork for more information.)
Hypothetical 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 = " " , Q3 = 3, Q4 = " " , Q5 = 4,
Q6 = 5, Q7 = " " , Q8 = 4, Q9 = " "
( " " indicates a missing quiz score: absent from discussion
section. These become 0's )Webpoints 249 out of possible (say) 300
Calculation of TOTAL SCORE for John Doe John's Final Exam score (84) is better than his lowest exam score (68), so we replace the 68 on Exam 2 with 84.We count only the 6 best quizzes, so there are 36 total possible quiz points. Only three of John's 0's are discarded, giving him a total of 6 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 4 + 0 = 22. So John's QUIZSCORE is 22/36 = 0.61 = 61 %
John's WEBSCORE is 249/300 = 0.83 = 83 %
John Doe's TOTAL SCORE = 0.18* (SUM OF TEST SCORES) + 0.18*QUIZSCORE + 0.1*WEBSCORE =
= 0.18* ( 83 + 84 + 71 + 84) + 0.18*61 + 0.1*83 = 77.2
So what is his letter grade for the course? I will not determine how 77.2 translates into a letter grade until after the final. So don't bother asking. But the information below gives some guidelines to help John think about his letter grade.
General guidelines about final letter gradesSo John Doe is guaranteed a C, probably a C+. His grade might turn out higher.- You will need a TOTAL SCORE score of 50% to pass (grade of D or better). I 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 sections in recent years has been in the vicinity of B /B-. That could change in any given semester, but most likely it will be about the same.
- 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 guarantee 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 should talk with the instructor to determine what criteria will be used award a grade
of "successful audit."