Grades

Individual Grade Summaries

Due to University policies concerning the privacy of grades, individual grade summaries will not be posted on this page. Starting the 3^rd or 4^th week of the quarter, individual grade summaries will be distributed in class to students according to the method they chose at the beginning of the quarter.

Grading Procedures

Grading will be based on a combination of proficiency probes, class projects, and participation in class discussions.

Proficiency Probes

A number of “probes” will be used to provide opportunities to practice and evaluate the skills taught in this class. Each type of probe is described briefly below. Individual probes are described in more detail on the Probes page of the class web site. The schedule for conducting probes is provided in the Class Syllabus.

Say-Fact Probe: In order to ensure development of fluency in the vocabulary and basic concepts used in the course, each topic has been broken down into a series of "facts" (brief question-answer frames).

By the end of the term, students will be responsible for mastering those facts well enough to recite them at a rate of 30 facts per minute and a x10 (times-ten) accuracy ratio (that is, at least ten correct responses for each error) over a one minute assessment period. The final say-fact assessment must be conducted in the presence of the instructor, but students are encouraged to practice regularly on their own. A student may retake their say-fact probe with the instructor as often as they wish during the quarter until they are satisfied with their performance.

Write-Fact Probes: To encourage timely and regular study of the "facts", a sample of facts pertinent to each week's discussion will be selected for a written probe at the end of the class session. Those probes will contain an average of 10 facts drawn randomly from the list of facts scheduled for that week. Write-fact probes will only be graded on the basis of accuracy. Write-facts for any given week may be taken only once during the course of the term. At the end of the term, a "maintenance probe" will be scheduled which will allow students one additional chance to improve their scores on write-fact probes.

Fluency Probes: Many of the skills to be learned during the quarter will only become truly useful when the student achieves some degree of fluency in their use (e.g., charting pupil performances, making performance-based decisions). Fluency probes will be timed (usually one to four minutes) and graded primarily on the basis of the amount of material correctly completed within the allowed time. A detailed description of each probe is provided in the Class Syllabus. Fluency probes may be retaken without penalty as often as the student wishes during the term.

Other Special Probes: Several additional probes will be provided to evaluate student proficiency in completing various tasks (e.g., writing goal descriptions). These probes will be untimed and graded solely on the basis of completeness and quality of response. In many cases these probes will count twice — once as independent probes in their own right, and again as a part of a final class project. These assignments can be revised and resubmitted for review repeatedly until the student is satisfied with the grade earned, or until the end of the quarter when all final materials come due. See the Class Syllabus for specific special probe assignments. Forms required for the assignments can be found on the Materials tab of the class web site.

Class Projects

To evaluate the student's ability to apply the skills taught in the course, each student must complete two class projects. A learner-manager project will involve monitoring your own progress in learning the “say facts” required in the course, and making changes in your study procedures whenever your assessments suggest that would be a good idea. A teacher-manager project will describe your attempt to teach some skill to another person. The projects are not due until the end of the quarter, but it is strongly suggested that you share your progress on each project with the instructor and class throughout the term. If we discover problems with your projects, it will then be possible to take corrective action before the end of the term. Any project given to the instructor at least two weeks before the end of the term will be evaluated and returned to the student for revision, if necessary, before a final grade is awarded. The projects are described in more detail under the Projects tab of the class web site.

Maintenance Probe

A maintenance probe of approximately 100 write-facts will be given at the end of the term. The facts will be drawn from the say-fact list in the same manner used for weekly write-fact probes during the term. If a student does better on a section of the maintenance probe than on the corresponding weekly write-fact probe, the higher performance will be used in calculating a final grade.

Sharing & Participation in Class Discussions: Your colleagues (usually other teachers) will represent the greatest source of ideas and support you’ll have during your career. Precision Teaching and the other methods we’ll be learning in this class for documenting what we’re doing and how well it’s working will facilitate that communication. Moreover, one of the best ways I have of monitoring your understanding of the class material is to hear you discuss it, and see you share your work. Therefore, a large part of each class will be devoted to discussion and student sharing. Your participation in those activities will count toward the grade you earn.

Final Grade

The Final Grade will be based on an adaptation of O.R. Lindsley's average performance product, as described below.

The various assignments will contribute to the final grade in the following manner:

20%     Say Facts
20%     All Weekly Write Facts Combined
20%     All Other "Special Probes" (timed and untimed) Combined
20%     Participation in class discussions and sharing sessions
20%     Project Notebook

The each part of the final grade will be determined as follows:

Say Facts Grade will be based on the student’s correct fluency (average number of correct responses per minute of assessment) and accuracy (the ratio of correct to incorrect responses during the assessment).

Correct Fluency is calculated by dividing the total number of correct responses by the number of minutes in the assessment. If, for example, the student made 95 correct responses in three minutes:

Next, the correct fluency/aim ratio is calculated to determine the degree to which the student's fluency meets, exceeds, or fails to meet the fluency aim. The aim for say facts is 30 correct responses per minute, so continuing the example started above, the student’s correct fluency/aim ratio would be:

...indicating that the student exceeded the fluency aim by a factor of x1.06 ("times 1.06").

The Accuracy Ratio for the say facts (and other timed probes) is calculated by dividing the total number of correct responses by the number of incorrect or "skipped" responses. If the student skipped or incorrectly said 10 facts in our example:

...indicating that the student made 9.5 times more correct responses than incorrect responses or "skips." If no errors or "skips" were made during the timing, the accuracy ratio will be set equal to a value just slightly greater than the total correct frequency. In the example provided above, for example, the accuracy ratio would be set equal to >95 (i.e., 'greater than 95").

Note that in a timed probe only actual "attempts" or actual "skips" (cases where a student says "skip" or says nothing about a fact but moves on to the next fact) are counted. In the timed probes conducted for this class there will always be more opportunities to respond than time allows — you’ll never be able to finish them all. Therefore, only those items actually attempted during the timing will be counted as correct or incorrect; items beyond the point you reached during the timing will not be counted at all.

The Accuracy/Aim Ratio is calculated by dividing the student's accuracy ratio by the accuracy ratio aim. The say facts accuracy ratio aim is x10 ("times 10), so for our example:

...indicating that the student achieved only 0.95 (95%) of the desired accuracy for the probe.

 Note: Often it will make sense to express ratios in numbers equal to or greater than 1.0 and then labeling the direction of differences as “x” (times) or “÷” (divide) to indicate the direction of the difference. We could, for example, call the result in this example a “÷1.05” accuracy ratio – the errors are “divide-by 1.05” the corrects (x 0.95 ≈ ÷1.05). For providing you with a formula for calculating your grade, however, it’ll prove a little easier simply to express the result as a “times” factor, where “times greater than one” indicates more corrects than errors, and “times less than one” indicates more errors than corrects. We’ll discuss those issues more in class when we address ways of describing and interpreting changes.

The Final Say Fact Grade (or grade for any timed probe) is then determined in the following manner:

If the student reaches the accuracy ratio aim the grade is based solely upon the correct fluency/aim ratio. That means it does not help to be more accurate than the accuracy aim, but it will help to be more fluent than the fluency aim.

If the student fails to reach the accuracy ratio aim (as in the example above), the correct fluency/aim ratio is reduced by the degree to which the accuracy aim was not met. For the example started above:

The significance of the x1.007 ("times 1.007") final grade will be discussed later.

Other Timed Fluency Probes (counted as part of the “special probe” group): the procedures illustrated above for calculating the final say fact grade applies to all timed probes. Of course, the specific fluency and accuracy-ratio aims for those probes might differ.

Write Facts are untimed, so only a special accuracy ratio is calculated. You’ll be given as much time as you want to complete the probe, so the number of correct responses will be divided by the total possible number of responses, not just the total number of "attempted" items. Assume, for example, that you correctly answered 8 out of a possible 10 items on a write fact probe:

...indicating you achieved only 0.80 (or 80%) of the possible score on the probe.

The Combined Write Fact Grade is calculated by multiplying all the individual write fact probe accuracy ratios together, and then taking a "root" of that product:

If, for example, only three write fact probes were offered and the student had accuracy ratios of 1.00 (perfect), 0.10 and 0.90, the combined write fact grade would be:

The Teacher-Manager Project will be graded using the following criteria:

A no count (zero) grade will be awarded if you fail to submit the notebook and/or for making so many errors as to make the notebook totally unacceptable.

A grade of less than x1.0 will be awarded for a notebook with one or more "fatal" (serious) flaws. Fatal flaws are noted on the project checklist.

A grade of x1.0 will be awarded for notebooks meeting all basic requirements, but with no outstanding characteristics.

A grade of greater than x1.0 will be awarded for projects that meet all basic requirements and are outstanding in one or more respects. Very few projects are likely to be awarded a grade of greater than x1.0.

Note: Success or failure in actually achieving the aim of the instructional project (i.e., teaching a person some skill) will not in itself effect the notebook grade. As long as the project was reasonably well conceived and employed the procedures to be learned in class, a good grade can still be earned. If errors were made in the project, but you eventually realized those errors, made appropriate corrections, or at least discussed those problems in the "What if" section of the notebook, you can still earn a good project grade.

The Group of "Special Probes”: The individual grades for special timed probes (e.g., the charting practice) will be determined in the manner described above for the timed say-fact probe. Individual grades for untimed probes (e.g., the goal description form) will be determined in the manner described above for untimed write fact probes. Once the individual aim ratio for each probe has been determined, I’ll combine them in the manner described above for the combined write-fact probe grade.

Class Participation. Your grade for class participation will be based on the frequency and quality of our contributions to class discussions and sharing. Generally,

A no count (zero) grade will be awarded if you never participate in class discussions or share your work with the class.

A grade of less than x1.0 will be awarded if you rarely participate in class discussions, share only a little of your work, or demonstrate any understanding of the knowledge and skills you are to learn. Note: you will not be penalized for making a misstatement or sharing something that turns out to be in error. Being willing to enter into discussions of our work is one of the best ways to learn. A problem will arise, however, if you don’t demonstrate a willingness to share and learn from the feedback you receive.

A grade of x1.0 will be awarded if you rarely participate in class discussions and sharing and appear to contribute/benefit from those interactions, but only infrequently.

A grade of greater than x1.0 will be awarded if you participate frequently, contribute especially well to class discussions or sharing, or benefit highly from the feedback you get.

Note: I’ve always had difficulty remembering names, so to be sure that I and the class give you full credit for your contributions, it’s a good idea to introduce yourself when you begin to contribute to a discussion or share something with the class. 

The Final Class Learning Product will be calculated by multiplying the your component grades and then taking the 5th root of that product:

If, for example, if you exceeded the performance aims for the say facts by a ratio of 1.80, earned an overall performance ratio of only 0.80 on the write facts, received a notebook grade of x1.10, exceeded the expectations on special probes by a factor of x1.25, and were given a x1.25 grade for your contribution to class discussions, your final class learning product would be: (1.80*0.80*1.10*1.25*1.25)^(1/5) = 1.198712518 ≈ x1.20

Final Grade Assignment for the course will be based upon the following considerations:

(1) If you fail to meet the basic performance aims established for the course, but still achieve what might be considered minimally acceptable levels of performance (a learning product of 0.80, or 80% of aim) you’ll get what is commonly considered a "C" grade (2.0).

(2) If you earn an average learning product of x1.0 (an average equivalent to meeting all established probe aims) you’ll get a grade equal to what is commonly considered a "B" (3.0).

(3) To encourage you to exceed basic performance standards whenever possible, you’ll get a grade above 3.0 if you achieve an average learning product above a the basic x1.0. Generally, if you achieve an overall learning product of x1.25 (25% in excess of basic aims) you’ll meet one of the qualifications for a grade of 4.0. However...

(4) You’ll only get a perfect grade of 4.0 if you’ve demonstrated acceptable performances in all areas, and superlative performances in at least some areas:

(a) a x1.0 performance/aim ratio or better on each and every individual probe (where multiple retakes of a probe are allowed, only the best score will be used);

(b) a notebook grade of at least x1.00; and

(c) an overall class learning product of x1.25 or better (that is, you exceeded minimum standards by an average of 25%).

Final Grade

Aside from the special requirements listed above for a grade of 4.0, Final Grades will be awarded on the basis of the following distribution.

Grade	Learning Product CutOff	Grade	Learning Product CutOff	Grade	Learning Product CutOff
1.7	0.7482	2.6	0.9146	3.5	1.1180
1.8	0.7651	2.7	0.9352	3.6	1.1433
1.9	0.7823	2.8	0.9564	3.7	1.1691
"C" 2.0	0.8000	2.9	0.9779	3.8	1.1954
2.1	0.8181	“B” 3.0	1.0000	3.9	1.2224
2.2	0.8365	3.1	1.0226	“A” 4.0	1.2500
2.3	0.8554	3.2	1.0456	(If other conditions for earning an "A" are met)
2.4	0.8747	3.3	1.0692
2.5	0.8944	3.4	1.0934

Notes:   

No grade less than a 1.7 will be awarded. If a learning product would result in a lower grade, I’ll give you a grade of 0.0 ("F"), which will automatically allow the student to retake the class for a higher grade.

If you’re unhappy with your earned grade, you may request an incomplete and work to improve your grade next quarter. Students desiring an incomplete must inform the instructor in writing before the end of the term.

Special Hints on Grades

The method for calculating grades was devised to encourage certain behaviors. Specifically, you should understand that:

Since the final learning product is calculated by multiplying the aim ratios for individual probes, some nonzero score must be earned on every probe in order to earn any grade. If even one probe in the series has a score of "zero" (no correct answers or not taken at all), the overall learning product will also be zero (zero multiplied by any other number is still zero). Take every probe!

On timed probes and the notebook you can exceed the established performance aims. Since you must earn an average learning product in excess of x1.0 (meeting aim) in order to get better than a 3.0 grade, don't stop working on a probe when you have simply met the minimum aim! Push yourself higher, whenever possible.

Since all the probe scores are multiplied together to get the final grade, you can offset a relatively poor performance on one probe with a better performance on another. For example, if you only reach aim on one probe (x1.0), exceeding the aim by x1.57 (57%) on another probe would result in an overall average of x1.25 and keep you qualified for a 4.0 in the class. Try to at least reach aim on every probe, then continue to work on the probes that are easiest for you to raise your overall average.

The say-facts and project notebook are the most important individual determinants of your final grade. Don't let your work on the say-facts or notebook lag behind! 

Last Reviewed/Updated: 11/28/2004 8:35 AM