NOTE: In reporting the averages from the test we drop
the lowest scores. This is because 25% (1 out
of 4) of all scores will eventually be dropped.
In comparing your average with the class average
you need to compare with an average which is
representative of the final average. Dropping
the lowest scores before reporting the average
is one way of estimating the effect of the
final drops. GBA
1st test
113 students took test 1
24 made below 41
89 scored 41 or more
for those 89 the average was 74.6 (59.7%)
test 1 grades
2nd test
108 students took test 2
25 made below 48
83 scored 48 or more
for those 83 the average was 73.6 (58.9%)
test 2 grades
3rd test
89 students took test 3
20 made below 51
69 scored 51 or more
for those 69 the average was 79.6 (63.7%)
test 3 grades
Overall Pre-Exam Average
Because of the tight schedule we have for the last
week of the semester (Test #4 on Tue 5/6 at 9:15
followed by the Exam on TH 5/8 at 7:40), I must predict
the final average based on only the first three tests.
This prediction is thus necessarily more uncertain than
usual. In figuring the averages for making the
prediction, we will go ahead and drop one test and three
quizzes and use 90% of the possible HW points so far;
therefore, one might expect that the true final average
might be a little lower than our prediction. How much
lower? I cannot guess at this point. I will put the
averages here as soon as I get them from the TAs.
88 students have taken the first three tests.
For these 88 students, the overall averages are
(One TA sent corrections to his original numbers,
so a change to my original posting was made at
4:27 PM 5/01 GBA)
test 61.28% (multiply by 0.6 to get # of points)
HW 7.96
QUIZ 8.26
________________________
overall 52.99 points out of 80 possible pre-exam points
or 66.2% <-- Pre-Exam Average
Assuming a Test 4 average of 61.28%, and that the HW
and QUIZ averages don't change too much, and an average
of 65 on the final, or 13 out of 20 points, results in a
predicted overall average of 66.0. With this predicted
average a possible breakdown of grades would be:
50.0 - 60.4 D
60.5 - 71.4 C
71.5 - 81.9 B
You should figure your pre-exam total then figure how many
exam points (out of 20 possible) you need to get the grade
that you want. Remember that the true final grade scale
ultimately depends on overall class performance on the
remaining test and the final exam.
4th test
82 students took test 4
19 made below 40
63 scored 40 or more
for those 63 the average was 70.1 (56.1%)
test 4 grades
FINAL EXAM
Of the 88 students who had taken the first three tests,
83 took the final exam. For those 83 students the final
exam average is
25.2 out of 40, or 63.0%.
final exam grades
FINAL AVERAGE
81 students took 3 or more tests plus the final exam
and had at least 120 HW points
for those 81 the final average is
HW 8.4 (out of 10)
quiz 8.4 (out of 10)
test 60.4 (multiply by 0.6 to get #points)
exam 25.5 (out of 40 - divide by 2 to get #points)
overall 65.8 (out of 100) <-- Final Average
The final grade scale was selected so as to find gaps
in the grade distribution. Here is that final scale:
49.8 - 59.1 D
59.2 - 70.4 C
70.5 - 80.5 B
Letter grades were assigned strictly according to this
scale. The highest E is 48.4, the lowest D is 49.8; the
highest D is 58.4, the lowest C is 59.2; the highest C
is 69.4, the lowest B is 71.5; the highest B is 79.2,
and the lowest A is 80.6. The smallest gap between
levels is 0.8 points between D to C.
Be sure to check your TA's computation of your final grade.
If you find a significant error the best time to see me is
during my office hours of May 12-14. After that time any
change will require that we fill out a change-of-grade form.
For information on how to figure your final grade see
HOW TO FIGURE YOUR FINAL GRADE.
Here is the final grade distribution for the 81 students
who took three or more tests plus the final exam.
You may also view this column of grades as a text file.
121 TTH grade distribution