The posted averages make up roughly one-quarter of your semester work, meaning that 3/4 of the grade is yet to be determined. In other words, a student who currently has an average of 65 can still make an A in the class with a 91 average. If you have started the semester slowly, then keep working to improve your grade. I give you lots of opportunities in this class, so use every one of them. The quizzes, although not worth much individually, do add up to 22% of the overall average, which is more than any single test.

How to Read the Gradebook

The grades are listed by the last four digits of your KSU student ID number (Net ID), and your average is displayed immediately to the right under a column labeled "Updated Averages." Right now these averages represent 21% of your semester grade so you can see how far you have to go before the end of the term.

The codes listed above your individual grades pertain to the following:

the date (1.13 means January 13th, but the space in the box is very limited),

the percentage value of that evaluation item (such as 2% for the quizzes and 15% for the first test),

the name of the quiz or test (Q1 = Quiz 1),

and the number of the columns to tell you how many grades have been entered and how many are left to go.

The individual scores for each quiz and test follow. Any quiz grades that appear in an alternate color indicate a quiz that was submitted late and that late penalties applied. Any test grades in an alternate color indicate that a make-up version of the test was taken, and therefore a different curve applies.

The averages at the bottom of each column reflect the class averages for that item. This way you can see how well you did in relation to the class averages. This column average also helps me to see if certain quizzes were easier or harder than others, allowing me to make adjustments in the future.

A Word about Test Averages

Some of you might wonder why the test averages are lower than 83, even though I said that I would add points to everyone's test scores to this level. Here's why.

The tests indeed ARE curved to a class average of 83. However, I do not include any test scored under 60 in that calculation since any student who averaged below a 60 would have received something lower than a 3 out of 5 on the average 5-point test question. I do not give scores below 3 out of 5 that have merit, so a test score below 60 represents significant problems, such as students failing to answer one or more questions.

Also, a test grade below 60 can often reflect a student who did not study properly for the exam. The rest of the class should not be receiving a higher curve because a few students did not answer their questions or prepare for the test as carefully as the vast majority of students.

In addition, some students have distractions that do not allow them to demonstrate their best work (severe test anxiety, has a 103 degree fever, etc.). You want another point because seven people had a cold?

Finally, several students also take different versions for make-ups, which have their own curves, making the test average a complex calculation. If everyone passes a test and there are no make-ups, then the average will indeed be an 83 (and often higher, such as 83.8).

A Footnote Regarding the Attendance Grades

When including the attendance grade in the average, I will start by making it worth only 2%, not the 10% that it will be at the end of the semester. The reason for this is simple: if I count your attendance right now as 10% it will skew the average so much that it will not reflect your true work. For instance, a student who is making a 65 in the class would instead see a 77 average, assuming that he or she had perfect attendance. Clearly, this student would have the wrong impression regarding his or her status in the class since 65 is the lowest passing score, yet a 77 is only a couple of points away from a B. Making the attendance grade too big in the beginning of the term can give students a false impression throughout the semester, making them wonder why their average appears to drop when the attendance value becomes less and less significant towards the final exam.

As time goes on, I will increase the weight of the attendance grade, bumping the value 1% for each 10% of academic value added to the overall average. In other words, your current averages are only 21% of your semester grade, so I will set the initial attendance value at 2%. Once you take a few more quizzes and the grades reflect 30% of the semester work, then I'll increase the attendance value to 3%, then up to 4% when the academic work surpasses 40%, etc., until 100% is reached in May.

Borderline Grades and Subjectivity

I always round decimals up, just as we were taught to do in math class. For example, a student who has an average of 89.45 or higher will receive an A. I will do this consistently throughout the semester.

After you take the final exam, I will post the final averages that represent 100% of the course grade. If any student finishes with a borderline average, then I reserve the right to determine if this student deserves the lower or higher grade. For example, if a student finishes the term with an average of 89.22, I need to examine this student's work throughout the semester to see if this student seemed to be more of an A student or a B student. Here are the factors that help me to make this decision:

Test Averages -- An A student should have received an A on at least two of the four tests.

Quiz Averages -- An A student should have an A on the majority of quizzes.

Attendance -- An A student should have at least an 85 in attendance.

Improvement -- An A student might get off to a slow start, but with determination this person can work his or her way up to the top. I have had students receive a 73 on the first test, only to end the semester with a grade as high as 93. If a student starts slowly but does A-level work the rest of the way, I will not let an average in the 89-range preclude the story behind the effort.

Class Discussion -- An A student should ask questions and participate in ways that assist other students. I once gave a student who finished with an 88.5 average an A because of his outstanding contributions to class that helped everyone understand the material better.

No Missing or Late Quizzes -- An A student will not have any blanks in the gradebook. If a student has late or missing work and finishes with an 89, then that student missed the opportunity to improve the score the first time around.

Extra Efforts -- An A student may have visited me during office hours to discuss class material, review tests and quizzes, etc. If you show a desire to learn you will leave a positive impression.

Extenuating Circumstances -- If a student communicates to me a significant problem that he or she is facing, that outside influence may affect the student's performance on quizzes, tests, and attendance. Telling me early in the semester about these challenges can provide the tipping point with borderline grades.

Of course, I use a similar process to determine the B/C, C/D, and D/F borderlines. A B student, for example, should have the majority of grades in the B range or higher, etc.

NOTE: Students who have missing work, excessive attendance issues (such as continual tardiness), persistent late work, or detrimental behavioral issues (rudeness, sleeping in class) will not be given extra consideration. Likewise, any student caught plagiarizing, cheating, or tampering with class records (such as signing in another satudent's name in the attendance sheet) will not receive any boost either.

Correcting Errors in the Gradebook

I am human, which means that I make mistakes. If you think that I have recorded a grade wrong or made any mistake that impacts your average, please bring it to my attention as soon as possible. For example, if I record an absence incorrectly as unexcused when, in fact, it was excused, then I'll make that correction by the next grade posting.

It is your responsibility to check your grades, attendance, and even the individual averages. I never intend to make mistakes with your grades, but it does happen.

If you need to let me know about an error, please use an appropriate tone. One time I made a mistake that accidentally gave each student the wrong grade (actually, the rows were shifted so that each student received the grades from the student listed in the row above). The grades were entered correctly, but the ID number did not match the grades listed in that row. One student sent me a 9-paragraph essay that demanded that I review my gradebook, followed by a tirade about how much her grades meant to her. You don't need to do this. Just let me know the mistake and I'll correct it.

Obviously, you should keep all of your quizzes and tests until the semester is over and you accept your final grade. Not only will they help you prepare for the final exam, they also serve as proof of each score that you received.