Cross-section grades Forum
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- Posts: 145
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:03 pm
Cross-section grades
This is probably a stupid question, but how do cross-section grades work? Ie -- if I am ranked 33 of 100 in my section, will I be ranked in the same percentile when all sections' grades are combined? Or are cross-sectional grades calculated with raw test scores, even though each professor's test is different?
Either way seems to have unfair qualities. Ie -- sections might benefit from an abnormally easy/difficult test or have higher/lower performing students.
Anyone know how this usually works?
Either way seems to have unfair qualities. Ie -- sections might benefit from an abnormally easy/difficult test or have higher/lower performing students.
Anyone know how this usually works?
- A'nold
- Posts: 3617
- Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 9:07 pm
Re: Cross-section grades
I hear that my section has a harder curve....which really sucks because they people in my section seem much smarter than the other section. I think some section stacking went on, unfortunately.
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- Posts: 145
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:03 pm
Re: Cross-section grades
So in other words a stacked section will probably end up hurting you when all sections' grades are combined? If raw test scores are used, this wouldn't necessarily be the case, but I don't know how they do it.
- orangeswarm
- Posts: 198
- Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:38 pm
Re: Cross-section grades
Obviously, I can only speak to the experiences at my school, but some classes varied quite a bit between sections. For example, my con law prof graded around a 2.5 curve while the other two sections graded around a 3.0-3.1. A lot of us complained, but there really wasn't much we could do about it in the end. Just the way things go. I busted my ass in that class hoping that I would at least reach the median of the other sections so I wouldn't be at a disadvantage.....and hoped that my other classes would even everything out. No way around it, if your school isn't good about keeping similar curves between sections, you may get screwed.nickwar wrote:This is probably a stupid question, but how do cross-section grades work? Ie -- if I am ranked 33 of 100 in my section, will I be ranked in the same percentile when all sections' grades are combined? Or are cross-sectional grades calculated with raw test scores, even though each professor's test is different?
Either way seems to have unfair qualities. Ie -- sections might benefit from an abnormally easy/difficult test or have higher/lower performing students.
Anyone know how this usually works?
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- A'nold
- Posts: 3617
- Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 9:07 pm
Re: Cross-section grades
That is such b.s. crap, how can they get away with this? I think this is even worse than shady self-reported employment statistics.orangeswarm wrote:Obviously, I can only speak to the experiences at my school, but some classes varied quite a bit between sections. For example, my con law prof graded around a 2.5 curve while the other two sections graded around a 3.0-3.1. A lot of us complained, but there really wasn't much we could do about it in the end. Just the way things go. I busted my ass in that class hoping that I would at least reach the median of the other sections so I wouldn't be at a disadvantage.....and hoped that my other classes would even everything out. No way around it, if your school isn't good about keeping similar curves between sections, you may get screwed.nickwar wrote:This is probably a stupid question, but how do cross-section grades work? Ie -- if I am ranked 33 of 100 in my section, will I be ranked in the same percentile when all sections' grades are combined? Or are cross-sectional grades calculated with raw test scores, even though each professor's test is different?
Either way seems to have unfair qualities. Ie -- sections might benefit from an abnormally easy/difficult test or have higher/lower performing students.
Anyone know how this usually works?
- aguyingeorgia
- Posts: 536
- Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:09 am
Re: Cross-section grades
This doesn't apply to my school, but another interesting thing to consider is scholarships that require you to maintain X GPA./class ranking. When you get placed in the same section with the other scholarship recipients under similar guidelines, some people can't finish in a certain percentage/GPA range.
Bye-bye scholarship.
This is more a warning to keep things in mind for the newbies coming in. Be certain to consider this.
Hope everyone is well.
Bye-bye scholarship.
This is more a warning to keep things in mind for the newbies coming in. Be certain to consider this.
Hope everyone is well.
- orangeswarm
- Posts: 198
- Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:38 pm
Re: Cross-section grades
Yea, those are the people that I feel sorry for. A lot of people have no idea that a school would stack sections with scholarship recipients until long after they begin school. I still can't believe some schools would stoop that low. Talk about being shady.
- kings84_wr
- Posts: 902
- Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:18 pm
Re: Cross-section grades
This makes me really glad we don't have sections
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- Posts: 145
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:03 pm
Re: Cross-section grades
This is exactly my concern. I may be playing conspiracy theory here, but pretty much every single person in my section has a scholarship and seems like an overly-hard worker. Now that our first grades have come out, our teacher says our class has been the best he's ever seen -- not exactly comforting at a school with a 2.9-3.1 curve.aguyingeorgia wrote:This doesn't apply to my school, but another interesting thing to consider is scholarships that require you to maintain X GPA./class ranking. When you get placed in the same section with the other scholarship recipients under similar guidelines, some people can't finish in a certain percentage/GPA range.
Bye-bye scholarship.
This is more a warning to keep things in mind for the newbies coming in. Be certain to consider this.
Hope everyone is well.
I've done fairly well so far, but I can't help but recognize the implications stacking a section with scholarship students might have.
- thesealocust
- Posts: 8525
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:50 pm
Re: Cross-section grades
You're playing conspiracy theory. Schools give out tons of scholarships, and I think the 'stacked section myth' is just a pervasive urban legend. Of course, if a school gives ~40% of their students scholarship money, every section will look 'stacked' because mathematically 40% of each section will have a scholarship they may lose... but I don't think there's any evidence that schools disproportionately stack.nickwar wrote:This is exactly my concern. I may be playing conspiracy theory here, but pretty much every single person in my section has a scholarship and seems like an overly-hard worker. Now that our first grades have come out, our teacher says our class has been the best he's ever seen -- not exactly comforting at a school with a 2.9-3.1 curve.aguyingeorgia wrote:This doesn't apply to my school, but another interesting thing to consider is scholarships that require you to maintain X GPA./class ranking. When you get placed in the same section with the other scholarship recipients under similar guidelines, some people can't finish in a certain percentage/GPA range.
Bye-bye scholarship.
This is more a warning to keep things in mind for the newbies coming in. Be certain to consider this.
Hope everyone is well.
I've done fairly well so far, but I can't help but recognize the implications stacking a section with scholarship students might have.
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