Midterm grades

Thank you to the students who have brought to my attention the fact that the midterm grades require additional explanation.

As I see it, grades have two distinct utlities: 1) to convey in shorthand to the student the Professor's assessment against expectations for the class and 2) to convey to an outside audience a standard of the student's performance compared to his/her peers.

1) On the first point, let me be clear that I have calibrated the CBS grading scale to assume that a "P" reflects an adequate/good midterm, and an "HP" a very good midterm. I would reserve "H" for a few truly exceptional papers. With this in mind, I have awarded mostly Ps for the midterm with a handful of HPs. So anyone receiving a "P" should not consider this an assessment of poor performance, while people receiving HP should consider that praise for a very good paper (rather than a simply adequate one).

2) However, given that the course grade will ultimately serve a purpose of external signalling, and that I now realize that I have miscalibrated the use of the H-HP-P-LP scale, I am happy to adjust these grades so that they are more in line with what these grades convey within the general CBS curve. As I now understand it, an HP better signals an adequate job, while a P is seen as a signal of slightly disappointing performance.

I have no stake in the fight against grade inflation so am happy to fall in line. I will bring you next week a new set of grades that better reflect the CBS curve (though I will not force rank). Many of you will see a change in your grade; some of you will not. Having read the midterms and discussed the final paper with many of you, I believe that you are well-positioned to deliver interesting and insightful final papers that both spur and reflect exciting thinking and learning (which I hope, in the end, is the point).

Prof. Bugg-Levine