Some Words About Grades

For years, I struggled to come up with a satisfactory formula for the computation of term grades. Finally, I had to confront my own profound innumeracy, and my resistance to the idea that the grading of literary subjects could be boiled down to a system of numbers. So what occurs now is that I reflect on my records (both of graded work and of attendance) and on my personal impressions of your work. Rather than carrying a fixed weight, attendance enters in as a sort of counterbalance. If you had some troubles on written work but achieved an outstanding attendance record, that excellence will carry heavy weight. If you did well on the essays but were unusually derelict in making it to class, there will be a penalty.

After all such considerations, I apply the standards of the Faculty for various letter grades (as, in fact, I am obligated to do):

these are the official Rules of the Faculty defining grades:

A

Exceptionally good performance, demonstrating a superior understanding of the subject matter, a foundation of extensive knowledge, and a skillful use of concepts and/or materials.

B

Good performance, demonstrating capacity to use the appropriate concepts, a good understanding of the subject matter, and an ability to handle the problems and materials encountered in the subject.

C

Adequate performance, demonstrating an adequate understanding of the subject matter, an ability to handle relatively simple problems, and adequate preparation for moving on to more advanced work in the field.

D

Minimally acceptable performance, demonstrating at least partial familiarity with the subject matter and some capacity to deal with relatively simple problems, but also demonstrating deficiencies serious enough to make it inadvisable to proceed further in the field without additional work.

[putting aside elements that clearly related more to math-based subjects, I point out the fact that both A and B use the word "good" and that C goes no further down the greasy pole than "acceptable." My experience has been that MIT students largely have a different set of definitions, and tend to take B and C as insulting. That's not how they are intended, you may rest assured.

And I accept my own inadequacies as a grader. I do my best, but I make mistakes. If for any reason you feel you have been the victim of such a mistake, come see me, and make your case. You are not "imposing" -- you are only asking me to do the job I'm paid to do.