Some issues and challenges arise from standard scales:

1) some practitioners apply the “normal” curve to check the distribution of grades in the class and then “adjust” scoring scales to produce a normal distribution of test scores for any given test. This is one version of “curving” the test scores. To me, this is like running a business and telling people you will be paid $10/hr for a 40 hr work week. At the end of the week, some folks only worked 20 hrs, or 30 hrs…and instead of getting paid $200 or $300, they get the same pay as the ones who worked the full 40 hrs…in other words everyone still gets paid $400 for the week regardless of how many hours they worked. In you case, everyone got the same bonus. So it seems that the ploy was to through a carrot your way so your score is over 100% so you won’t complain.

2) I stand by the standard scale. It’s like announcing what the pay scale is to the workers, say $10/hr. At the end of the week, if they worked 40 hours, they get paid $400. Those who worked only 20 hours get paid $200, and 30 hour workers got $300. It doesn’t matter to me if the distribution of grades fits a “normal” curve or not. The normal curve is an abstract theoretical concept. In reality, some classes have more than the average share of good students, and those classes tend to have more A’s than another class. The proportion of grades is not important to me. It is important that the “pay” (grades) are proportional to the quality of the work.

Many students like being graded on a curve. But they don’t realize what that really means. If you help another student study for an exam, and that extra help gets that person 1 more point on the test, their grade goes up and might beat you out. And the next time, what is the incentive for you to help someone study? Grading on a curve can promote situations of cut throat competition (on one end of the scale) and a protest boycott (as the other extreme). For grade sensitive instructors, seeing a whole class do poorly on an exam can trigger a guilt reaction and thus to quell student protest, curve the grades by lowering the thresholds for the grading scale, or adding points to everyone’s “raw” score. Those instructors can be manipulated by en mass student protest or inaction.

On the other hand, since education has become big business, and commercial management practices are often used on campus, the most common productivity measures on campus are the number of successful course completions, number of certificates and degrees awarded, and number of student transferring or graduating. High success might mean pay raises for faculty. Low success rates could mean probationary status and ultimately dismissal for getting poor productivity results.

Common practice? Hard for me to say. But talk to any group of students when registration begins, and they can tell you who is the “hard” or “easy” instructors on any campus of the world.

It may be of little comfort to you, but the quality of your education rests with you….not the college, professors, books, or grades. Focus on improving your understanding and it will all come out in the wash….those with the easy grades (high marks) generally have low understanding and ability. I know it is hard to take with GPAs seem to rule the day on applications, etc.

But I have been there….was only an average student…but in my career, my lower degree in contrast to my peers did not prevent me from reaching higher levels of recognition and performance than colleagues with higher degrees from superior rated universities both in the US and abroad.

Hope this helps shed some light.

I teach at a university, and while we have some professors who are easier than others and seem to hand out As like candy, most of us in the department expect our students to EARN their As by attending class, studying for tests, turning in quality papers on time, etc.

Good for you for thinking it’s wrong!

I’m taking engineering classes and the school is ABET accredited which means it is legit. Our school is ranked pretty high as far as engineering schools go too.

There are flaws but the overall idea is that the teacher knows what the student’s average knowledge level is. Therefore they tailor tests to have a bell curve where a 50% is average. There are variations on this concept but it is all the same in the end

Let them do what they do..the cats will mew the dogs will bark.. after all every dog has his own day (shakespheare)….

So make your interest in your subjects…. never lose hope… if u study..then your knowledge and intelligence will never be lost……