ALTERNATIVE GRADING SYSTEM

In practice, we find number of ways in which grades are made and

reported. Normally, the type of grading used depends on the extent to which
more descriptive and informative summaries are required by school authorities or
by the stakeholders in general. Thus, the major types of grading and marking
found in practice include:

A. Pass-Fail System

In this system, there are no generally accepted standard gradiations (as

with the independent studies) or the critical requirement is meeting a single
satisfactory standard (as in some professional examinations and practicum). It
utilizes a dichotomous grade system. Either a student complied and reached
certain standards, in which case he passes or he failed to do so and he gets a
failing remark. This is popular in some courses in college but not very much
practice in the basic education. In fact, the pass-fail system should be kept to a
minimum because it does not provide much information, the students tend to
work to a minimum (just to pass), and in mastery learning courses, no grades are
reflected until mastery threshold is reached.

B. Traditional letter-grade system

In this system, students performances are summarized by means

of letter. It is easy to understand but it is limited value when asked as the sole
report because they end up combination of achievement, effort, work, habits, and
behavior. As such they become difficult to interpret and they do not indicate
patterns of strength and weaknesses.

Example of a letter grade system:

Ateneo de Manila University Letter Grade System
Grade Point Equivalence Letter Grade Equivalence % Equivalence
4.0 A 92% - 100%
3.5 B+ 87% - 91%
3.0 B 83% - 86%
2.5 C+ 79% - 82%
2.0 C 75% - 78%
1.0 D 70% - 74%
0.0 F below 70%
Most academic departments in the university follow a grading system with the
70% passing grade. Some departments, such as the Department of Finance and
Accounting and departments from the Ateneo School of Science and
Engineering follow a 50% or 60% passing grade.
International School Manila Letter Grade System
Grade Point Equivalence Letter Grade Equivalence % Equivalence
4.0 A 94% - 100%
3.7 A- 90% - 93%
3.3 B+ 87% - 89%
3.0 B 83% - 86%
2.7 B- 80% - 82%
2.3 C+ 77% - 79%
2.0 C 73% - 76%
1.7 C- 70% - 72%
1.3 D+ 67% - 69%
1.0 D 63% - 66%
0.7 D- 60% - 62%
0.0 F below 60%
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Philippines#Letter_grade_syst
em

C. Checklists of objectives
In this system, the objectives of the course are enumerated. After each
objective, the students level of achievement is indicated: Outstanding, Very
Good, Good, Fair or Poor. This is a very detailed reporting system and tends to
be more informative to parents and pupils at the same time. It is, however also
very time consuming to prepare. There is also a potential problem of keeping the
list manageable and understandable.
Example of checklists of objectives:
Students are rated on each objective using descriptor such as Proficient,
Partially Proficient, and Needs Improvement. The checklist for students in a 4th
grade class in California may include the four types of writing that are required by
the English language state content standards:

Writing narratives

Writing responses to literature

Writing information reports

Writing summaries
The advantages of this approach are that it communicates students
strengths and weaknesses clearly, and reminds the students and parents the
objectives of the school. However, if too many objectives are included then the
lists can become so long that they are difficult to understand.
 D. Letters to Parents/Guardians

Letters to parents and guardians are useful supplements to grades.

However, they are limited value as sole report because they are very time
consuming to prepare, the accounts of weaknesses, are often misinterpreted by
the parents and guardians, and they do not characterized as systematic or
cumulative.

E. Portfolios

As already explained, portfolio is a set of purposefully selected work, with

commentary by student and teacher. Portfolios are useful for showing students
strengths and weaknesses, illustrating students range of work, showing progress
over time or stages of a project, teaching students about objectives/standard they
are to meet.

F. Parent-teacher conferences

These are mainly used in elementary schools. This requires parents of

pupils come for a conference with the teacher to discuss the pupils progress .
Portfolios, when available, are useful basis for discussion. Such conferences are
useful for a two way flow

G. Hodgepodge grading

It is a combination of achievement, effort, growth, attitude or class

conduct, homework, and class participation.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Contemporary_Educational_Psychology/Chapter_10
:_Teacher-made_Assessment_Strategies

Reported by:
Catama, Janice P.
BSEd Major in BioSci
Unit Taker
 STANDARD NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

A standard normal distribution is a normal distribution with mean 0

and standard deviation 1. Areas under this curve can be found using a

standard normal table (Table A in the Moore and Moore & McCabe

textbooks). All introductory statistics texts include this table. Some do format

it differently. From the 68-95-99.7 rule we know that for a variable with the

standard normal distribution, 68% of the observations fall between -1 and 1

(within 1 standard deviation of the mean of 0), 95% fall between -2 and 2

(within 2 standard deviations of the mean) and 99.7% fall between -3 and 3

(within 3 standard deviations of the mean).

No naturally measured variable has this distribution. However, all other

normal distributions are equivalent to this distribution when the unit of

measurement is changed to measure standard deviations from the mean.

(That's why this distribution is important--it's used to handle problems

involving any normal distribution.)

Recall that a density curve models relative frequency as area under

the curve.

Assume throughout this document then that we are working with a

variable Z that has a standard normal distribution. The letter Z is usually

used for such a variable, the small letter z is used to indicate the generic

value that the variable may take.

Question: What is the relative frequency of observations below 1.18?

That is, find the relative frequency of the event Z < 1.18. (Here small z is

1.18.)

Step 1

Sketch the curve. Identify--on the measurement (horizontal/X) axis--the

indicated range of values.

The event Z < 1.18 is shaded in green. Events and possibilities are one in

the same.

Step 2

The relative frequency of the event is equal to the area under the curve over

the description of the event.

interactive!) to find this area. In Table A values on the measurement axis are

listed along the margins and areas within the table. Now, a complete copy of

the table is not here (too big; The blue area is the relative frequency of the

event Z < 1.18. This area appears to be approximately 85%-90%. A good

sketch will help you verify your answer.

Step 3

Use the standard normal table in your text (and, hopefully, soon to be on this

site and somebody--probably me--would have to type all those numbers in).
But, here's an abridged version.

...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Corresponding to a measurement value of z = 1.18 is an area of 0.8810. This

is exactly the answer to the question! Notice that it agrees with the picture as

well as the original "guess." For any value z the table supplies the area

under the curve over the region to the left of z. Again, area = relative

frequency.

For a standard normal variable the relative frequency of observations falling

below 1.18 is 0.8810. (Also, for anynormal distribution, 0.8810 or 88.1% of

the observations fall below 1.18 times the standard deviation above the

mean.)

Answer: 0.8810 or 88.10%.

Question: What is the relative frequency of observations below -0.63?

Identify the range of values described by "below -0.63" (shaded green).

Identify the area you need to find (shaded blue).

Look-up the appropriate area in your table. (Be careful to choose the
"negative" portion of your table--look up -0.63.) That area is 0.2643. For a

standard normal variable the relative frequency of observations falling below

-0.63 is 0.2643. (Also, for any normal distribution, 0.2643 or 26.43% of the

observations fall below 0.63 times the standard deviation below the

mean. Below because -0.63 is negative.)

Answer: 0.2643 or 26.43%.

Question: What is the relative frequency of observations above -1.48?

Identify the range of values described by "above -1.48" (shaded green).

Identify the area you need to find (shaded blue). It appears to be about 95%

Use the value -1.48 to look up an area in your table. However, be careful.

Doing so gives you 0.0694--this is nowhere near 0.95--our initial guess.

That's because the table is oriented to find areas under the curve to the left

of. . . So, in fact, looking up -1.48 has found the answer to the question What

is the relative frequency of measurements falling below -1.48. This range, z <

-1.48 (in gray) and the associated area 0.0694 (in purple) are shown below.

There are two ways to proceed. They are, of course, equivalent.

Since 0.0694 of the observations fall below -1.48, the remaining 0.9306 = 1 -

0.0694 must fall above -1.48.

Since the total area under the curve is exactly 1, and the purple area is
0.0694, the blue area must be 1 - 0.0694 = 0.9306.

In other words, subtraction from 1 is necessary.

93.06% of the observations fall above -1.48. (For any normal distribution,

0.9306 or 93.06% of the observations fall above 1.48 times the standard

deviation below the mean.)

Answer: 0.9306 or 93.06%.

Reported by:
Catama, Jeric P..
BSEd Major in BioSci
(Unit Taker)