COEN 286: Grading Policy

Software Testing and Quality Assurance -- winter, 2008

Prof. John Noll

Santa Clara University

Grades will be assigned according the following ruthless but completely fair formula:

1. Assign class participation scores as follows:
   • Definitely participated: 100 points
   • Participated somewhat: 85 points
   • Did not participate, or participated only rarely: 70 points
   • Disruptive: 50 points
2. Calculate cumulative scores, based on scores and weightings for individual exercises and exams.
3. Compute the benchmark score from the top score for each exercise. This value becomes equivalent to 95 on the normative scale below.
4. Compute normalized scores, as follows:

    normalized_score = (cum_score / (benchmark_score/.95)) * 100
    
   

5. Assign grades according to where the normalized score falls on the following scale: A : 93 and above.
   A-: 90 and above.
   B+: 87 and above.
   B : 83 and above.
   B-: 80 and above.
   C+: 77 and above.
   C : 73 and above.
   C-: 70 and above.
   D : 65 and above.
   D-: below 65.

Note that this mechanism is a combination of normative (achievement based) grading, and the traditional ``curve'': it's normative in the sense that your grade is based on an absolute scale of achievement, defined by the values given above; it's ``curved'' in the sense that the achievement scale is calibrated by the actual performance of the class, as defined by the top scores.

Generated Sat Mar 15 11:22:29 2008