Grades for Math 131, Fall 2016

      Your grade for Math 131 will be based on exam scores, quiz scores and scores from WeBWorK assignments, together with any earned boost from iClicker participation. These scores will be combined to produce a TOTAL SCORE (a percent) for the course.  

      • The 4 exams will have 100 points each.  The scores on each exam are "boosted." if necessary so that the exam average is not below 75.  Each of the exam scores E1, E2, E3, and E4 (= final exam) will contribute 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 to get your QUIZSCORE, which contributes 18% toward your TOTAL SCORE.  (See Discussion Sections for more information on quizzes and "throw-way" scores)
      • After dropping the two lowest WW assignments, your WeBWorK scores will be totaled and rescaled to a basis of 100 points to get your WEBSCORE.  WEBSCORE will contribute 10% toward your TOTAL SCORE.  (See Webwork for more information.) 
      • After calculation of TOTAL SCORE, a small boost might be added for iClicker participation

      Here are the guidelines that will convert your TOTAL SCORE to a letter grade:
        • At the end of the course, the letter grades assigned will not be any stricter than shown in the table below. It's theoretically possible that there may be slight adjustments in a more generous direction, but that might not happen, and if there are adjustments they will probably be small.  So for "practical" purposes, assume that the table will be the grading scale.   
        • If you are taking the course on a "pass/fail" basis, then you will need a grade of C- or better to earn a "satisfactory passing grade" P. 
        • If there are any students who officially registered to audit the course (not for credits), then I will need to assign a grade of L ("successful audit") or Z ("unsuccessful audit") at the end.  You need to talk with me early in the course about what you need to do for a "successful audit."

      TOTAL SCORE GUARANTEED LETTER GRADE


      90% and up A or A+.  The cutoff for A+ is uncertain, but A+'s will be a small "honorary" group.  The decision has no GPA impact: an A+ counts the same as an A in the University GPA calculations.  If "boosts" to exam scores occur with the result that a few students get a TOTAL SCORE more than 100, not even a 100 is guaranteed an A+.
      85%-90%A-
      80%-85%B+
      75%-80%B
      70%-75%B-
      65%-70%C+
      60%-65% C 
      55%-60% C-
      50%-55% D  
      < 50%NCR (F)

      To illustrate, here's the calculation of the grade for a hypothetical student, Jane Doe.

       
      Data for Jane Doe 

      Exam Scores      Exam 1    88 (out of 100)
                                 Exam 2    68 (out of 100)
                                 Exam 3    78 (out of 100)
                                 FINAL      75 (out of 100)

      Quiz Scores       Q1 = 6,     Q2 = 2,    Q3 = 4,     Q4 = 4,     Q5 = **,     Q6 = 5,     Q7 = 6,   
                                 Q8= **,    Q9 = **
                                 ( ** indicates a missing quiz score for that day) 

      WW Points        After discarding her lowest two lowest scores, let's say Jane has 249 out of a possible 300 points.
       

      Calculation of TOTAL SCORE for Jane Doe

      Jane's Final Exam score (75) is better than her lowest previous exam score (68), so we replace the 68 on Exam 2 with 75.

      We count only the 6 best quizzes, so there are 36 total possible quiz points.  Jane can drop her 3 lowest scores but she can only drop 1 of the last 3 scores.  So she can drop Q2, Q5, and Q8, so her QUIZSCORE = (6+4+4+5+6+0) / 36 = 25/36 = 69.4%

      Jane's WEBSCORE is 249/300 = 0.83 = 83 %

      Jane Doe's TOTAL SCORE = 0.18* (SUM OF TEST SCORES) + 0.18*QUIZSCORE + 0.10*WEBSCORE =

                                                 = 0.18* ( 83 + 75 + 78 + 75) + 0.18*69.4 + 0.1*83 = 77.0%

      Reviewing the iCLicker data, Jane responded to only 62% of the clicker questions posed in class.  So she gets no "clicker participation" boost.

      Jane's 77% earns a B for the course.

      .