Explanation of Data Displayed on
Spreadsheet
SHEETS
Please note that
scores are recorded on both Sheet1 and Sheet2 of the spreadsheet. On
Sheet1 are the scores for homework, exams
and the observational/forecasting project. On Sheet2 are all of the quiz
scores and all of the extra credit scores including points for "fog"
questions, completing a teacher evaluation
at the term's end and other miscellaneous items which are lumped together and
placed in the
column labelled "EC."
Interpretation of the column headings on Sheet2 are obvious. On Sheet1
column headings are more difficult to
interpret. Details are provided below
under "COLUMN HEADINGS."
Interpretation of row headings on both pages, when not obvious,
can be guided by
referring to the details below under "ROW HEADINGS.".
COLUMN
HEADINGS (Column headings on Sheet1 are explained below. Sheet2
headings are quite obvious. For questions
on Sheet2 headings, please read the paragraph above, then ask your instructor.)
"NAME," "CID#,"
"hw#," "tst#," "op," "final" and "GPTS/3"
are deemed obvious. (To preserve confidentiality, entries in the "NAME"
column are not
displayed in the internet accessible
file.)
HWsm is the sum of homework accumulated to date.
The three lowest homework scores for the semester are excluded from this sum.
(The three lowest scores will all be zeros for all students until all but the
final three homework scores have been entered. Hence, for most
of the semester, HWsm will simply be the sum of all entered
hw scores.)
ECsm is the sum of all extra credit points accumulated to date. It
includes "fog" points and all other extra credit points. Note
that
the individual scores which are
summed to find ECsm can be accessed by clicking the "Sheet2"
tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet.
Qsum is the sum of quiz points accumulated to date. (It
may decrease slightly at the end of the semester, when your three lowest quiz
scores are excluded from the sum.) Note that the individual scores which are
summed to find Qsum can be accessed by clicking the
"Sheet2"
tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet.
HW+EC is the sum of HWsm and ECsm.
tstsum is the sum of the three highest test scores.
%TD is the
percentage of
a "perfect" score to date which you have earned. %TD can sometimes exceed 100% because it includes
bonus and extra credit points.
CUM% is the % of
possible points for the entire semester which you have earned to date. If
you
were to submit no more work and take
no more exams, except for work
already entered in the spreadsheet, this would be
your percentage score at the semester's end. As with
%TD, CUM% can exceed 100%
because of extra-credit and bonus points. At the semester's end
%TD =
CUM%.
Rank is class rank. With the grade inflation of recent years, this
number has taken on greater importance in a student's resume. If you
ask your instructor to
write of letter of recommendation in your behalf for purposes of employment or
graduate school admission, your
grade and this number, as
of the semester's end (together with the
class size), will be included in that letter.
Grade is a student's predicted grade until all work is submitted, after
which it becomes the earned grade. Early in the semester, it has
little significance, but it becomes
an increasingly more
accurate predictor as a semester progresses. Grade is based on the percentage
of a
"perfect" score earned to date (%TD). It is determined using the
absolute grading scale displayed in the upper right corner of the
spreadsheet.
That grading scale may be adjusted at your instructor's
discretion at the term's end, but it will never be made more harsh,
i.e.,
your grade will only improve or remain fixed if your instructor decides to make
adjustments.
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(Please note that the scores in columns which are exhibited in all boldface
characters, Qsum, HW+EC. tstsum,
op and final, are the
scores used directly in the calculation of %TD, CUM%
and Grade.)
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ROW HEADINGS
Possible is the
maximum possible number of points in a column. It includes extra credit and bonus points so it can
be equal to or greater
than "Perfect", but not less.
"Perfect" is a
"perfect" score. Perfect percentages cannot exceed 100% (perfection)
so
these scores do not include extra credit
and bonus points.
Average is the average score in each column. Blanks are counted as zeroes and are included in the calculation.
NZ Average is the average value of the actual scores in each column, i.e., blanks are disregarded and have no effect on this average.
N is the number of actual (non-blank or non-E/non-W in the case of the grade column) scores in each column.
Std Dev is the standard deviation of the
non-zero scores in each column.
Blanks are not included in the calculation of Std Dev. (If a
column contains any non-numeric characters, such as "*", the algorithm which
calculates Std Dev is disabled and no standard deviation
is displayed.)
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Hot Pink Scores
Very rarely homework scores have been lost in the grading process. A student with a lost homework assignment may either (1) resubmit the work (with no penalty for lateness) or (2) simply take the average of his/her submitted homework scores as his/her score for the lost assignment. Replacement scores obtained using option (2) are displayed in hot pink. (Students are responsible for reporting missing scores. Your instructor has no way of knowing whether a blank on the score sheet indicates a lost score or simply [almost all cases] an assignment which was not submitted.)