Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Calculating Grades Mathematically
• Method 2 of 2: Additional Student Aid
• Tips

A grading curve is a relative measure of completed assignments based on overall grade performance. There are many reasons for creating a grading curve - for example, if the majority of students in a class wrote less than expected, it could mean the assignment or test was too difficult for their level. For some methods, grades are deduced mathematically, for others, students are given the opportunity to compensate for the points lost for the task. Read on for more instructions.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Calculating Grades Mathematically

1. 1 Set "100%" as the maximum score. This is one of the most common (if not most) the methods used by teachers and educators to calculate grades. This method will require the teacher to find the highest grade and define it as “new” 100% per assignment. This means subtracting the highest grade in the class from the hypothetical “ideal” score and evaluating all submissions, including the best. If you did everything correctly, then the best work will receive the highest score, and all the rest - in descending order.
   • For example, let's say the best test score is 95%. In this case, since 100-95 = 5, we add 5 percentage points to the assessment of each student. This makes 95% a target of 100% and each successive grade is 5 percentage points higher than the previous one.
   • This method works better when calculating absolute estimates rather than percentages. If the highest score is, for example, 28/30, then you need to add 2 points for each task.
2. 2 Apply a curved flat scale. This is one of the easiest assessment methods. It is especially useful in cases where most of the class was unable to complete the task. To create a learning curve, simply add the same number of points to each student's grade. This can be points for a task that almost no one was able to solve, or another (arbitrary) number of points that you think they deserve.
   • For example, suppose the whole class was unable to complete a 10-point assignment. In this case, you can add 10 points to each student. If you think that they do not deserve them, because they did not complete the task, then you can stop at 5 points.
   • This method is similar to the previous one, but not quite. Because he does not define the highest score as 100%, but assumes that no one of the students may not get the highest grade. Moreover, the mark for the best work can be even higher than 100%!
3. 3 Set a lower limit on the passing grade. This method lowers the minimum passing grade limit. Therefore, it is especially convenient if the student (or the whole class) has failed some task, but after that showed a significant improvement in knowledge and you do not want to fail. In this case, instead of the usual percentage of the assessment (90% - excellent, 80% - good, etc., up to 50-0% - unsatisfactory), set a lower rating limit, which is simply above zero. This is done to ensure that difficult tasks do not affect the average scores of students. In other words, so that a few bad grades do not downgrade the final grade.
   • For example, suppose a student completely failed the first test and got a 0. However, he tried hard and got 70% and 80% for the next two tests. On average, he now has 50% - fail. If you lower the passing score to 40%, then he will have an average of 63.3% - mediocre. This is not the most best the result, but giving this grade will be fairer than failing a student who gives hope.
   • You can set lower limits for individual jobs. For example, if the lower passing score is 40%, but all tasks were difficult, then in this case the threshold can be reduced to 30%.
4. 4 Use a bell curve. Usually, a number of grades for completed assignments resemble a bell - several students received the highest scores, most - average and several - passing ones. But what if, for example, the highest score is 80%, the average is 60%, and the lowest scores are 40%. Do the very best students in the class deserve a weak A and the rest get a low passing grade? Probably not. Using the bell curve, you define the grade point average as satisfactory, which means that the best students will get five and the worst students will get a poor grade, regardless of the absolute scale.
   • Start by determining the average grade for your classroom performance. Add up all grade points and divide by the number of students to find the GPA. For example, on average we got 66%.
   • Set it as an average grade. Choose the exact grade at your own discretion - it can be “satisfactory”, “satisfactory plus plus” or even “good minus”. Let's say we count 66% as a solid three.
   • Then you need to decide how many points should separate the grades from each other. Typically, a large interval means your reward for unsuccessful students. For example, let's divide the rating scale by 12 points. This means that 66 + 12 = 78 will be a new four, while 66 - 12 = 54 will be a passing score, etc.
   • Now feel free to rate the new bell-shaped system.
5. 5 Apply a linear rating scale. If you want to assess students' ability, but the conventional grading system does not work for you, you can try using a linear scale. Such a system will help to make the correct distribution of grades and find out the exact figure. However, this mathematical method technically assesses each student individually and can be perceived as unfair.
   • First take 2 grades (the student's actual grades) and determine how you want them to appear after counting. For example, the actual grade for an assignment is 70%, and you want to give 75%, while the passing grade is 40%, and you want 50%.
     
     
   • Then create two x / y equations: (x₁, y₁) and (x₂, y₂). Each x will be equal to the grades you selected, and y equals the corresponding grade that you necessary withdraw. In our case, we have (70, 75) and (40, 50).
     
     
   • Plug these numbers into the following equation: f (x) = y₁ + ((y₂-y₁) / (x₂-x₁)) (x-x₁)... Remember that one "x" without a degree is needed in order to substitute grades there for each individual task.The final answer f (x) is the new estimate. For clarification, you need to calculate the grades of each student using this equation.
     
     
     • In our case, let's imagine that we are evaluating an assignment that is 80% complete. We will solve the equation like this:
       • f (x) = 75 + (((50 - 75) / (40-70)) (80-70))
       • f (x) = 75 + (((-25) / (- 30)) (10))
       • f (x) = 75 + .83 (10)
       • f (x) = 83.3. The 80% grade for the task now looks like 83.3%.

Method 2 of 2: Additional Student Aid

1. 1 Give them the opportunity to redo the job. If you don't want to use a complex formula to calculate student grades, but want to give them a chance to improve their grades on a specific assignment, you can suggest that they redo examples from a poorly completed assignment. Give them a task and give them a chance to correct the shortcomings. Then evaluate the reworked work. Add a few points for this task and add them to their first grade for the final grade.
   • Let's say a student gets 60 points out of 100 on a test. We return the test back to the student with a promise to add half the points for the reworked questions. She solves them again and gets 30 points. We divide them in half 30/2 = 15 and add to the rest: 60 + 15 = 75 points.
     
     
   • Don't let students just fix the work they've done. Instead, you need to make sure they understood their mistakes from start to finish and completely rewrote the wrong assignments.
     
     
2. 2 Change some of the questions in the assignment. Even good teachers can sometimes include wrong or misleading questions on the test. If, after an assessment, you find a couple of questions that most students have failed, it is best not to take them into account when grading. This is especially relevant if you have not already explained the topic to them or these questions are above the level of students. In such cases, if it does not cause trouble, it is better not to take them into account.
   • However, do not forget that then the rest of the questions will have to be rated higher. It will also upset those students who answered questions you chose not to consider - you might want to give them extra points for that.
3. 3 Come up with additional tasks. This is one of the oldest techniques available. After most (or all) of your students have failed an assignment, give them a side project or assignment that will increase their grades. Whether it's a question that requires creativity, an extra assignment, or even a presentation - be creative!
   • However, be careful with this method - those students who need help the most are unlikely to be able to answer the super-difficult questions that give extra points. It is better to give such tasks that will help them apply their knowledge in practice. For example, if you are teaching poetry, you might ask students to draw a rhyme diagram for their favorite song.

Tips

• If you don't want to rate students more than 100 percent when applying the grading scale curve, use the highest grade as the extreme limit. For example, if the arc is more than three points and this adds 1 to 100 percent of the student, limit it to three points.