Sunday, November 8, 2009

How fair is our traditional grade scale?

Should we have or end minimum grade policies? Texas is struggling with this issue.

What is fair?

Traditional Scale:

A = 91-100
B = 81-90
C = 71-80
D = 61-70
F = 60-below

Student A has 4 B's (83's) and 1 F (a zero); this average equals 66, for a D overall.

Balanced Scale:

A = 41-50
B = 31-40
C = 21-30
D = 11-20
F = 0-10

Student B has 4 B's (33's) and 1 F (a zero); this average equals 26, for a C overall.

Which is fair?