You will be graded on a number of standards, each of which represents mastery of some aspect of what we are learning this year.
You will receive a grade on a scale from 0-4 for each standard where the points indicate how well you have demonstrated you understand the underlying material.
| Points | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 4 | Exceeding standard |
| 3 | Meeting standard |
| 2 | Approaching standard |
| 1 | Beginning standard |
| 0 | Insufficient evidence |
In general the standards build on each other so it’s important that you meet each standard (getting at least a 3) before we move on to the next. But if you do not, you will have opportunities to raise your standard grade on older standards later in the year—the most important thing is that you eventually master each standard.
Your overall semester grades for the course will be based on the (possibly weighted) average of your standard grades according to this scale:
| Average on 4-point scale |
As a % | Letter grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3.4 | 85% | A |
| 2.8 | 70% | B |
| 1.8 | 45% | C |
| 0.8 | 20% | D |
| <0.8 | <20% | F |
In this grading system, tests are just one way to assess how well you understand the material covered by a standard. If you do badly on a test that just means you don’t understand the material yet and you will have more opportunities to demonstrate that you have picked it up. A better performance on a later test or demonstrating your understanding in other ways, such as by the code you write in our larger projects will raise your grade to whatever level of mastery you exhibit.