this discussion is interesting ...
there seems to be TWO general kinds of "grading" on the curve ... it would
be interesting to try to "estimate" how frequently each happens ...
1. LOWERing cutoffs ... thus, INcreasing the #s of those getting various
higher grades
2. making cutoffs such that the distribution of GRADES resembles a normal
distribution
i assume that #1 occurs much more frequently and, from my perspective,
there is NO good rationale for doing #2 ... unless one assumes that ability
within a class is normally distributed AND ... and far more crucial ...
that achievement SHOULD resemble the distribution of ability ...
in any case ... instructors are suppose to give students some reasonable
description of the grading system used ... at the BEginning of a course ...
which i assume would include some facimile of a grading scale ... or what
one has to do to earn certain grades ... and in this context, i would think
that anyone who might 'consider" RAISING cutoffs so that FEWER students get
higher grades ... would be challenged from students .. as this appears to
border on unethical practice ...
At 02:32 PM 12/22/99 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I never, as a teacher, used any curving
>procedure to lower students grades!
==============================================================
dennis roberts, penn state university
educational psychology, 8148632401
http://roberts.ed.psu.edu/users/droberts/droberts.htm
