Grading Policies

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Summary: Excluding "bottom-dwellers" (up to 5% of class), class percentiles will define a curve and corresponding grade, "Bonus Points" will allow you to adjust your class-percentile grade upwards a maximum of one half letter grade division (with certain limitations), and an alternative uncurved grade scheme will guarantee that you receive a minimum alternative letter grade based solely on course percentage points, which would kick in in the unlikely event that we have an extremely high curve. These general guidelines are modified by minimum performance requirements for homeworks and for exams.

Disclaimer: The following is an accurate reflection of the grading policy to the best of the professor's knowledge. However, the professor reserves the right at any time to make changes to what appears below due to typographical errors, unforseen loopholes that are not in the spirit of the policy, etc. etc...

Initial Grade Calculation

Percentile-Based Grade and Coursework-Based Grade.

Ignoring bonus points, and allocating 20% to each midterm, 30% for the final exam, and 15% for each of oral group presentations and written homeworks, the following ranges correspond to the indicated "unadjusted" grades. Class Percentile is computed after first eliminating "bottom dwellers" from the pool. This group, up to a maximum of 5% of class, comprises those students who in the opinion of the professor appear to have given up, or are not trying, or do not realize they are actually enrolled.

Use whichever criterion (class percentile, coursework percentage) gives the most favorable grade

Class Percentile	Grade	Coursework Percentage Earned
95	A+	95
85	A	93
80	A-	90
70	B+	87
60	B	83
50	B-	80
40	C+	77
30	C	73
20	C-	70
15	D+	67
10	D	63
5	D-	60
<5	F	< 60

The Class Percentile above (left column) is meant as the main grading criterion. The Coursework Percentage (right column) may result in a higher grade in the event that there is little spread on the course distribution, rendering percentile less informative. Typically this happens when exams and homeworks are too easy (which is another way of saying that typically this doesn't happen). The instructor reserves the right to make the cutpoints in the Coursework Percentage column more generous.

Bonus Point Calculation

During the course, opportunities for acquiring "Bonus Points" will be made available. Bonus points will allow you to slide up one or two grade divisions (more precisely, one-half letter grade) using the Class Percentile (left column) scale. In particular, bonus points may be earned:

Regularly from your peers at head-banging sessions
From online checkpoint quizzes should we ever create these
From specially designated extra problems on homework, mentioned in class, or appearing on exams.

Let B be the total number of bonus points available during the term. If you earn mB bonus points, where m is a number between 0 and 1, then your bonus-adjusted percentile score is defined as p + 0.5mg, where p is your unadjusted percentile score, and g is the number of percentile points corresponding to a full letter grade based on the chart above. Note that g is really a function that depends on the value of p, since a full grade is about 30 percentile points in the B/C range, and about 20 percentile points outside of it. (The obvious smooth function consistent with this will be adopted).

Exceptions to the Bonus Point policy:

Bonus Points will not be used to prevent you from failing the class.
Bonus Points are necessary, but not necessarily sufficient, to move to A+.

Mininum Performance Threshold

In order to pass the class, students must do sufficiently well on each of homeworks and exam categories. The minimum homework percentage is 60%. The professor will announce the minimum exam percentage applicable to each exam after it has been graded.

RE-grade requests

Homeworks can be regraded by submitting them to any of the TAs; exams can be regraded by submitting them to the instructor. If the graders have made a simple arithmetic mistake, we will fix it immediately. Otherwise, you must also submit a brief written explanation why you think you were graded unfairly. (For example, "My answer to problem 2 is correct; see the posted solutions.") Don't revise or explain your answer; we can only grade what you submitted the first time.

Unfortunately, past experience has necessitated the following rule for exam regrades:

An exam will be considered for regrade only if at least one of the following conditions are true:

The exam was written in indelible ink.
The original exam was not in the student's unsupervised possession prior to the request being made. (Valid "supervisors" include the professor, TAs, and course secretary).

All regrade requests must be submitted at most two weeks after the homework or exam is returned. Except for arithmetic mistakes, late regrade requests will be ignored.

We will readily admit, apologize for, and correct our mistake if you have been graded unfairly. However, please remember that "unfairly" means your grade is blatantly incorrect, or that you were graded more harshly than other people in the class, not just that you think the grading standard is too harsh.

Finally, please remember that written homeworks grades contribute 15% to your overall grade, there will be approximately five such, and an average of four problems each. This means that the difference between a completely incorrect and a completely correct hw problem will be worth approximately .75 course points, and a single homework point will be worth approximately 0.075 course points. Frivolous regrade requests will be met with the scorn they deserve.