Gaussian Letter Grade Assignment

  1. Marks and Grades Section 2: A fake section for testing the marking program.
During the semester current letter grades are assigned in an automated fashion according the BELL CURVE---which physicists call a Gaussian and others the normal distribution. 

      

      Grade Distribution of the course Gaussian Curve
      

            Grade    Percentage of           Grade bin in standard deviations from 
                     a bell-curve class      the mean. 
                     in each grade bin       A standard deviation is the
                                             conventional statistical width of
                                             the distribution
      

               A     10 %                     1.282 -- infinity
               B     35 %                     0.126 -- 1.282
               C     40 %                    -1.036 --  0.126 
               D     10 %                    -1.645 -- -1.036
               F      5 %                     0.    -- -1.644

      The Gaussian curve grade point average is 2.35.
The actual class will not usually have exactly this breakdown because the class distribution will not be exactly a Gaussian.

There is for instance NO need for F's at all.

At the end of the semester the instructor will make a FINAL grade decision.

The instructor will NOT lower a grade from the Gaussian curve assignment. The instructor might raise it depending on several things including:

  1. Did a student improve on the course final?
  2. Is there a good gap in percentages in which to draw a grade line?

But students should count on anything.

Just do your best all along---subject to all the other constraints in life.

Aliens and Grades Beware of aliens bearing grades.