Korean Job Discussion Forums

ersatzprofessor · Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2003 7:40 am Post subject: useful marks fixer

Do you work with a curve where most students are expected to pass? And do you have students who, despite how idiot proof you endeavour to make exams, still fail miserably? And are you tired of trying to figure out how to bump grades up equitably on a case by case basis? If so, then this may be for you.

A Korean professor friend of mine shared his secret. The trick is to calculate the square root of the actual grade. This will only increase the good marks by a small percentage while bringing the lower marks up by a much larger one. So, for example, let's say you have a final exam worth 30 points. Using Excel, you could type in the following formula:

=+SQRT((Total Marks/30*100))*3

If the student got 27/30, the mark will go up to 28. However, if they got 15 their mark will be 21, and if they only got 10 right the mark will be 17. Anyone who has been in this situation will immediately see how useful this is. Hope this is of use to someone out there.

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Now that is interesting. I might try it next term. Thank you.

EFL Teacher · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

gmat · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

EFL T:

I think he means the score that each student received out of 30, in the example formula used.

For example if the student received 17 out of 30, plugging 17 in for 'Total Marks' in the formula would result in the student's grade jumping to 22.6 out of 30. I think this is what was meant by 'Total Marks'.

edit:
ps. Great idea Ersatz, thanks.

EFL Teacher · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

Thanks.

katydid · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...

I would love to try this out, even if my reason goes only as far as giving myself insurance when it comes time to reveal the final grades. ("Hey, I even graded you on a curve in hopes you'd pass!")
I'm trying out the formula now, and it doesn't seem to be working. You said a high score would not be affected as much as a low score, but in my test run, a girl's score of 86, not bad at all in my book, inflated to the equivalent of a 93.

That seems a bit much to me.

I see what you are doing up with the equation, until the point where you multiply the result of the percentage by three. Is that a variable number as well, or is it always part of the equation? While my school would most likely be ecstatic that I gave most of my students As, I would like to do it because either they worked for it or that the numbers fell into their favor -- not due to my absolute shortcomings as a math scholar.

By the way....thanks for your help and for sharing this. Smile

Hans Blix · Joined: 31 Mar 2005

bump. very good help from the vault