http://study.com/academy/lesson/absolute-vs-relative-grading-in-the-classroom.

html
Grading in the Classroom
Imagine that you are a teacher giving a test to a class full of students. As you are grading, you
think about the importance of giving the proper grade to each student. See, the grade that each
student gets can determine whether that student passes or fails. If your class is a prerequisite
for another class, giving a student a grade that will cause him or her to fail will mean that you
can potentially hold a student back from continuing in his or her studies. How should you grade?
Let's look at two different kinds of grading systems: absolute and relative.
Absolute Grading
The first kind of system is called absolute grading. In this system, each point value is assigned
a letter grade. This is the system that most students in primary school are under. For example,
the most common absolute grading system in the United States is the one that assigns an A for
points 90 to 100, a B for points 80 to 89, a C for points 70 to 79, a D for points 60 to 69, and an F
for points 0 to 59. All of these points are from a test worth 100 points.
In this system, it is possible for all of your students to pass and even for all of them to get As. If
all of your students score a 90 or above on the test you have just given, then all of your students
will get an A on this test.
Relative Grading
The other kind of grading system is called relative grading. In this system, grades are given
based on the student's score compared to the others in the class. This system is used in some
universities and colleges and even in some advanced high school classes. In this system, a few
students are guaranteed to receive an A and a few students are guaranteed to receive an F.
Point values in this system don't translate directly into letter grades. For example, if most of your
students scored between 80 and 90 out of 100, then this would mean that scores around 85
points are assigned a C. Scores around the 90 mark are assigned a B and the highest scores are
assigned an A or A+. If the highest score is a 92, then 92 will equate to an A+. The lowest score
will equate to an F. If the lowest score is a 75, then that 75 is an F.
Is this system fair? It is if your student's grades are spread far enough apart. For example, if
some of your students score a 20 out of 100 and some of your students score 90 out of 100, then
this system of relative grading will work because it will assign an F to those students who did not
perform and an A to those who performed very well.
It is also very possible for students to receive an A when they don't really understand the
material at all. For example, on a test worth 100 points, if the highest score is 30 points, then
this would mean that 30 is an A. But does scoring 30 out of 100 mean that the student has
understood the material? Probably not. It is also possible for students to receive an F even
though they have a good grasp of the material. If the lowest score is 90 out of 100 on a
particular test, then this would mean that 90 is an F when using relative grading. In these
instances, you have to ask yourself, if this a fair letter grade for this student.
To unlock this lesson you must be
http://citl.illinois.edu/teaching-resources/evaluating-student-performance/assigning-coursegrades/course-grading-schemes/relative-grading
Relative Grading
Using group comparisons for grading is appropriate when the class size is sufficiently large
(perhaps 35 students or more) to provide a reference group representative of students typically
enrolled in the course. The following steps describe a widely-used and generally sound
procedure:
1. Convert raw scores on each exam to a standard score (z or T) by using the mean and
standard deviations from each respective test, set of papers, or presentations.
Standard scores are recommended because they allow us to measure performance on
each grading component with an identical or standard yardstick. When relative
comparisons are to be made, it is not advisable to convert raw scores to grades and
average the separate grades. This is because the distinction between achievement
levels will be lost; differences will melt together as students are forced into a few broad
categories.

2. Weight each grading variable before combining the standard scores. For example,
double both exam standard scores and the standard score for the paper, triple the final
exam standard score, and do nothing to the standard score for the presentation. The
respective weights for these variables in the total will then be 20 percent, 20 percent,
20 percent, 30 percent, and 10 percent.
3. Add these weighted scores to get a composite or total score.
4. Build a frequency distribution of the total scores by listing all obtainable scores and the
number of students receiving each. Calculate the mean, median, and standard
deviation. Most calculators now available will perform these operations quickly.
5. If the mean and median are similar in value, use the mean for further computations.
Otherwise use the median. Let's assume we have chosen the median. Add one half of
the standard deviation to the median and subtract the same value from the median.
These are the cutoff points for the range of C's.
6. Add one standard deviation to the upper cutoff of the C's to find the A- B cutoff.
Subtract the same value from the lower cutoff of the C's to find the D-F cutoff.
7. Use number of assignments complete or quality of assignments or other relative
achievement data available to reevaluate borderline cases. Measurement error exists
in composite scores too!
Instructors will need to decide logically on the values to be used for finding grade cutoffs (onehalf, one-third, or three-fourths of a standard deviation, for example). How the current class
compares to past classes in ability should be judged in setting standards. When B rather than C
is considered the average grade, step five will identify the A-B and C-B cutoffs. Step six would be
changed accordingly.
Relative grading methods like the one outlined above are not free from limitations; subjectivity
enters into several aspects of the process. But a systematic approach similar to this one, and
one which is thoroughly described in the first class meeting, is not likely to be subject to charges
of capricious grading and miscommunication between student and instructor.
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-precise-differences-between-the-absolute-and-relativegrading-systems
Absolute This is how absolute grading works. >75% you get an A. 60-75 its B. 50-60, its C and so on.
What makes absolute grading different from relative grading is the difficulty of the question
paper and how lenient have the papers been corrected. If all the students screw the exam, they
end up getting a D or even F and may have to repeat the course. The onus is more on the
teachers to set a balanced paper. They might be compelled to set straightforward questions.
Sometime directly from text/reference books. Hence expect text book stuff on answer sheets.
Most of the US universities follow this grading system.
RelativeRelative grading is dynamic, no fixed passing marks. Gives the faculty more flexibility, but also
more responsibility in deciding how to grade, how to consider the continuous assessment scores
of the students. The highest score in the class/department is considered as a baseline. Rest of
them are graded taking the ratio of their respective score to highest score.
Now beauty of this is, it hides your score. Say you get 35 in Math and you are the highest you
get an A. It is always better to tell your parents that you got A, rather than telling you got 35 .
Relative grading is a continuous assessment of your performance.
Written 20 Jul 2015
http://www.iitk.ac.in/infocell/Archive/dirmay1/relativegrading.html
RELATIVE GRADING :: A confused art?
IIT Kanpur was set up with aid from the United States of America. Many ideas and things were
shipped from Washington DC to Kanpur. When a packet from one of these shipments was
opened, a brilliant proposal of adopting "relative grading" emerged.And IIT Kanpur was amongst

the first, in the country to adopt this relative method of evaluating performance. However, over
the years, the brilliance of the proposal occasionally appears to have tarnished in places.
Relative grading invests instructors with great flexibility and responsibility, giving rise to many
interpretations of relative grading. Students sense an inconsistency across the instructors , and
sometimes find reason to complain. Is it time to take another look at the system of relative
grading, and how it is conducted in the Institute?
Absolute vs Relative Grading
The traditional method of evaluating student performance is the absolute grading approach.
Here, a student's performance in a course is quantified as a percentage of marks.Then absolute
cutoff levels are used on the average of percentages of marks in all courses to summarise the
overall performance of the student. The threshold levels are:
I Class with Distinction
> 75%
I Class

60-75%

II Class

45-60%

III Class

35-45%

Failed

< 35%

In the above method, when more weightage is to be assigned to some courses, such preferred
courses are given a total weightage of say, 200 marks as against 100 marks. Absolute grading is
convenient when the class size is large, e.g. a state university having over 1000 students in a
particular class, though at different colleges. Here, it must be kept in mind that although the
students may be studying at different colleges, they share the similar facilities in terms of
infrastructure and quality of instructors, and have a common syllabus aand the same question
paper.
IIT Kanpur follows the system of Relative Grading. Under this approach, student performances
are first quantified as marks. Then, the instructor assigns the following letter grades:
A

Outstanding Performance

Good Performance

Fair Performance

Satisfactory Performance

Poor Performance

Unsatisfactory Performance

The degree of difficulty in the various examination papers, the leniency exercised in giving
partial credits for incomplete responses, and the instructors overall assessment of the student's
understanding of the subject, form the input to awarding letter grades.
Some Interpretations
Relative Grading, belongs to an academic environment that has a dynamic system where
content and treatment of the subject keep changing, depending upon the instructor and on the
changes taking place in the fields of engineering and technology. Absolute Grading depends
upon the syllabus, the question paper and the leniency in awarding marks, all of which may vary
from one institute to another. Relative grading counters these inconsistencies by evaluating a
student vis--vis his/her own class. On knowing the quality of the institute to which the student

belongs, a fairly accurate judgement of his/her calibre can be made on the basis of (relative)
grades. Relative grading has the further advantage of removing the fine edge of cut-throat
competition for marks among students.
Clearly, assigning letter grades based on marks obtained is a crucial task and this onus lies on
the instructor. In fact, no one can question his/her decision. Instructors need to ensure that they
shoulder this responsibility with care. A clearly defined evaluation system must be employed,
e.g., mid-semester exams, home assignments, quizzes, term papers, seminars and final
examination, with pre-specified weightages for each of these elements. This should be adhered
to consistently during the course of the semester. Any carelessness in this respect is likely to not
only provide an incorrect picture of students' calibre, but also result in the loss of confidence of
students.
One criticism that some instructors face is that they inflate grades to become "popular" amongst
students. Another major grouse of students is regarding the number of 'A' grades awarded for a
course. Some instructors assign "A" grades liberally, and some others are free with "F" grades.
The most criticised situation is when a student of good standing (based on his past records at
the Institute) does poorly in a certain course, he is still awarded a good grade.
Steps for Bringing in Consistency . . .
At the outset, it is clear that both "A" and "F" grades must definitely be earned, while the other
grades may usually be awarded. So, only deserving candidates should get "A" and "F" grades.
This reflects the true potential of students, particularly to the prospective employers who wish to
recruit the students.
When the class size is large (e.g. in B.Tech. courses), it may be desirable to ensure the numbers
of "A" and "B" grades together is close to the number of "C" and "D" grades together. And when
the class size is small, the above may not be possible, but it is important to ensure that the
thresholds that discriminate between "A" and "B" grades, and between "C" and "D" grades,
should be chosen carefully.
To be able to distinguish between students deserving different letter grades, a good distribution
of marks obtained by the class is essential at the end of the semester. And, this is possible by
employing question papers having questions that require distinctly different levels of scholastic
ability. This must be ably supported by a very objective way of giving partial credit for
insufficient responses.
Looking ahead . . .
Clearly, when the entire responsibility is placed on the instructor alone, inconsistencies are
bound to occur.Instructors who are new to relative grading are better off discussing with fellow
instructors to understand how they are doing it. One may only observe trends in the practise of
doing relative grading, as there is no one answer for all situations. Judiciousness must be
excercised to blend objectivity of performance with the subjectivity involved in gathering
whether the student has learnt the subject matter . . . for relative grading is an art!
http://www.dawn.com/news/703508/relative-grading-system-a-boon-or-bane
AYESHA SHAHID PUBLISHED MAR 17, 2012 11:36P
mid-terms nearing, the talk of campuses these days is grades. At Khan Waizs office,
students trickle in twos and threes every couple of minutes to find out if their grades
have arrived. Khan Waiz handles the grading affairs for Dr. Ashfaque Hasan, Dean
Business School of National University of Sciences and Technology (Nust).
Waiz tells the students their marks. The more persistent ones ask for one or two colleagues too.
But the most persistent walk around his desk to the other side and look at all the other students
marks.

The reason: relative grading. What each student scores, is only good if it is good in comparison
to the grades of the rest of the class. And as more and more universities are transitioning to
relative grading system, the question of grading systems is coming to the fore more frequently.
For Nust, which has had a relative grading system since its inception, this was a policy decision.
As many officials of the university point out, reasons for this choice were plenty: It is required by
Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) as well as internationally; the relative grading system is
recognised more easily than an absolute grading system.
International universities have to have a reliable system to establish the credibility of a degree
and our degrees are recognised worldwide, said Dr. Safdar, Director Academics at Nust.
Relative grading relies on statistical system to plot the marks of each student on a curve and is
based on overall performance of the class which decides the boundaries for how grades are
assigned.
However, this does not mean there are always A-grades or failures in a class, the system decides
an average and assigns grades above and below the average accordingly.
Practically, as Farah Khan, a student at Nust pointed out: It means that in a class it might be
that 10 people score above 90 but since they cannot give a lot of As, those who score from 98-96
get As, while those scoring between 96-94 get B+ and B falls between 94-90. So even if you
score that well in a test, you might end up getting a B.
However, such anomalous marks where a majority of the class is scoring very high or very low in
a test or class may represent a flawed evaluation system or variations in leniency of the
teachers. A very strict teacher might design exams where the highest is a 70 and in such cases,
students might even be getting Bs at 55 or 60.
It is in covering up the differences on the index of severity of teachers that the relative grading
system is much stronger than the absolute grading system, explained Professor Zahid at Bahria
University.
Also, such a grading system makes it harder for teachers to have biases or favoritism. If they
show favoritism towards or biases against one student, the whole classs grades will move up or
down, he further added.
In fact, Farah of Nust agreed that while relative grading can be a problem when a whole class
performs exceptionally well, but it is also helpful when a class underperforms: It can also be
beneficial when there are very strict teachers where you might be getting an A at 40.
A student from Nust similarly said, The relative grading system does make your education a rat
race and not about the learning it gets too competitive and cut-throat. I mean we are going
towards destructiveness rather than constructive learning.
But the point remains that universities do feel the need to move to a system which is more
internationally acceptable. Director Exams of National University for Modern Languages (Numl),
Bashir Ahmad, said that Numl is considering shifting to a relative grading system and rules have
been circulated amongst professors.
According to Mr Ahmad, there are two reasons for the shift: Internationally there is a system of
GPA and we want to bring our Masters Programme to that level. We also want this system to give
advantage to the students, especially the weakest students, who might be getting negatively
affected by the absolute marking system.

On the flip side, Controller of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) was an eager supporter of the
absolute grading system: We are not lax and dont find ways to change grades through a
relative system. Our rules are very hard and fast and this is why we are the number one
university.
But another professor, Prof Nauman Shafi, at the same university gave a more flexible view and
argued that it really is not about the system of grading but what you aim to achieve with it. The
focus should not be on relative or absolute grading but on quality of education and what best fits
our environment, mindsets and culture. Frankly, I dont think our student can cope with a relative
grading system because they come from such diverse streams and systems that relative grading
wont work.
Looking from the quality perspective, if a lot of students are competing on a level plain, then
relative grading is better. But in the context of QAU, the absolute system works better. I would,
however, vote for more subdivisions in grades so that we have more grades than simply A, B and
C but also have B+, B- and so on.
Dr. Zahid of Bahria University was similarly skeptical of a relative grading system. Look at our
education system, it is all borrowed and confused, we have kids coming from the O Levels
stream and the Matric stream. The flaw is not just in the system of grading but in our teaching
methodologies, curriculum, examination, and evaluation system. I dont think our students can
cope with a relative system until everything is put in line to go with it.
What the Higher Education Commission (HEC) needs to do is to bring together the top decision
makers from all the big universities and form a committee to devise a uniform system across the
board so that our students dont get hurt moving from one system to another, concluded Dr.
Zahid.
http://learnise.com/blog/relative-grading-or-absolute-grading-the-better-choice/
THE BEST LEARNING EXPERIENCES ON THE WEB.
Relative Grading or Absolute Grading: The better choice
TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015
Grading systems have always been a matter of concern, for students and their parents. Absolute
or Relative- the grading systems being employed to mark the knowledge of students at various
levels; differ not only in their nature but also in the kind of performance overview they give us.
While the question of which system being better is debatable; there is still a lot that needs to be
discussed while considering both the grading systems at various education levels depending
upon the subject, results to be derived from the grades of the students and the purpose of the
grades.
KINDS OF GRADING SYSTEMS:

ABSOLUTE:
It rates a student as per his marks in absolute terms irrespective of other students performance
on a scale. For this, there are fixed scales and the grades are independent of overall
performance of the students in that particular exam. This system of grading is more rigid and
parameter bound.
It is useful for subjects where a fixed understanding of the object is desired. It also increases
competitiveness among the students as the grades are independent of the group performance. It
also depends upon the kind of examination paper that has been set and the leniency with which
it has been checked.
While it tells us the individual learning of students of the subject, it does not provide us with a
relative view of performance. It can be used in school and university exams where the subject
determines the target goal of the grades. Thus for competitive exams where students are
competing with one-another for the same position, this system of grading does not form a good
choice.
A- >75%
B- >65%
C- >55% & so on.

Advantages:

It gives the student a chance to mirror his own performance irrespective of others.

Protects one from being compared with others.

Determines the depth of understanding of a subject achieved without compromising on

score.

Disadvantages:

It can affect the mental health of a student, if he/she scores a lower grade than his peers.

It can sometimes be a little harsh as the pressure on students for scoring grades continues
to increase every single day.

It does not consider the quality of knowledge being delivered to the students by
considering the overall performance of the students but restricts the grades to set scores
and thus, does not let the students comprehend with the sole purpose of acquiring
knowledge.

The teacher pre-decides the grade range as per his wish and therefore it does not take
into account the performance of the students.

RELATIVE:

When a student is given score relative to his classmates it is relative grading. Relative grading is
comparatively advantageous while rating students for competitive exams.
It is more dynamic and the grades depend upon the highest score achieved by a student rather
than fixed parameters. Also, it increases the competitive spirit among the students by giving
them a chance to stand out relatively than individually; like in Absolute Grading.

Advantages
It considers the dynamics of content quality in various institutions depending upon the
teacher and the resources available.

It also gives the teacher the independence to judge if students have achieved the desired
results by rating them in relation with each other.

Most importantly, , it helps students not lose faith in the system as if all the students
perform under the mark they do not lose their grades by being graded in absolute terms
but are able to achieve goals.

Relative Grading is a better option for competitive exams as the students compete for the
same position. Thus it makes it easier to grade their performances in respect to each
other rather than against a set score.

Disadvantages
Students may take the system for granted as they stop making efforts to learn skills and
gather knowledge unanimously.

It may also take a toll on the overall performance of the group.

Take a look at the video below for an easy tutorial on how to calculate grades.
ABSOLUTE & RELATIVE GRADING IN A CLASS:
If a student scores 65 marks out of 100 and is the highest in the class, he will get a B grade
irrespective of what others have scored under Absolute Grading.
Whereas if the same student scores 65 out of 100 and is the highest score of the class, he will be
awarded an A grade and the score range for the rest of the grades will be determined keeping in
mind his score. Thus the rest of the students will be given scores relative to him which will create
a dip in the cut-off marks. This will not only help students score better but also give them a
sense of mental satisfaction and a moral boost encouraging them to achieve better in the
coming time.

Relative grading has been considered to be a better option for competitive exams as it clearly
defines ones performance by giving relative result for the overall exam. Absolute grading is
better for high school and University scores as it gives people a chance studying together to feel
on the same line and be judged based on what has been taught against set standards. Also,
relative grading is better for competitive exams as giving people the same grade for different
marks lessens the opportunity for the student with higher marks who deserves to go to a better
institution.
Statistics v/s Truth:

Like this article discussing which system is better based on theirPros & Cons
1) In a class of 20 students, if the students score below average on a mass basis, then no one
will get the highest grade under absolute grading whereas under relative grading, the highest
marks will form the best grade and thus not result in a mass fail ensuring an even distribution of
grades.
2) In a class of 20 students, if all the students score similar marks then they will get the same
grade range thus indicating no variation in the distribution of grades whereas under relative
grading, again the highest marks will determine the score range for grades again ensuring a
smooth ad uniform distribution of grades.
FACTORS INFLUENCING GRADES:
While the sole purpose of studying and scoring is to acquire knowledge and that should not be
lost, therefore, a balance of both the grading systems depending upon what is to be derived
from the grade should be followed.
In the meantime, there are few fun ways to improve your grades using Social Media:
https://www.quora.com/Is-the-relative-grading-system-among-the-students-in-IITs-the-correctmethod-of-evaluating-them

Is the relative grading system among the students in IIT's the correct method of evaluating
them?
Students joining IIT's have already proven that they are better in certain skills (I am not
necessarily saying "intelligence" ). Now, if they are competing among themselves, it is certain,
due to relative grading, that despite being performing decently by relative standards, they might
not get a good GPA since somebody has to get a bad grade! This finally has an big impact on
their future because its finally their GPA that is used for judging, disregarding the fact that its
actually a relative GPA and in an absolute scale, students with low GPA also may still be much
better than their counterparts in other colleges. Also, this method of evaluation demoralises
those getting lower grades, in turn resulting in their disinterest in academics, though they are
still pretty good in it.
Sure, relative grading has its disadvantages as detailed in the video. But, what's the alternative?
Absolute grading? No way!
Standardised testing? It already exists in the form of JEE, GMAT, etc. and leads to a lot of stress.
Let me tell you why absolute grading does not work.
Along with my engineering, additionally I took a few advanced courses in mathematics from the
MSc curriculum as a part of my minors. Each of the mid-term and end-term exams were like
olympiads themselves. We got 4 problems and were given 3 hours to solve them.
If you got 40/100 you would rank 3rd in a class of 30.
The pass-mark was about 15/100. So basically, if you got one-and-half question right in all of the
exams combined, you could pass the course. (Which isn't as easy as it sounds). Meanwhile,
people in the other departments would score 80/100 just as easily. Had it been absolute grading,
all of us would have been screwed !
Most of the advanced courses in the IITs cannot function with absolute grading.
Further, having an absolute grading system still has the same disadvantages as mentioned in
the video.
So, I prefer relative grading over absolute grading.
PS: Harshil Lodhi's answer does give some drawbacks of relative grading.
Yes, the current system doesn't work. But, what other alternative do we have?
Neither the video, nor the other answers suggest any solutions.
For me it is partly fair to judge the entire class relative to the highest scorer. The point being that
everyone's effort is judged vis a vis the most meticulous one is aptly justified.
Now why I said partly is because different people have different expectations. Now for the
rambunctious learners who are toiling great deal in a subject to gain deeper insights, the level of
expectations are much different from someone who just wants to do average or above average.
The solution to the above problem can be two fold:
1. Identifying exceptionally bright students (top 2~3 % max if at all). These students should be
graded differently from the others (say the other 98% of the class). The former don't have any
disadvantage at all whereas the latter are being saved from the apathy of Gaussian distribution.
2. Once these are identified and graded above the maximum (of the rest), the others can have
their share of pie. Obviously it may be possible that there is no exceptional student in the class
and in that case the grading system reduces to the usual relative grading system.
So long story short everyone's happy !
The grading system in IITB and BITS is an interesting extrapolation of relative grading system on
similar grounds.
I really liked the Einstein analogy pointed out by Shobhit Chaurasia, but Einstein failing in College
physics and University Calculus is difficult to imagine !! :D :D

Written Oct 15, 2013 View Upvotes

Parag Goel, Cleared a 6-hour exam a while ago.
3k Views
You are actually right in saying that relative grading might not be the best way to grade the
courses. The primary reason for that could be the fact that the courses are not competitions,
where you have to know who has performed better and who has not. The grading should reflect
how much a student has learnt in the course, and if many people get high marks, then it should
be perfectly fine that many people get high grades in that course (the way it was actually done
in schools).
But sadly, one look at the various courses and you would come to know that this is a fairly
simplistic way of viewing things. As in every field, there is a huge variation in how the instructors
conduct their course. If the content is well-managed (although this too is subjective) and the
exams are of a level that caters to everyone, the relative and absolute grading distributions will
give you similar kind of results. In fact, a quite good proportion of instructors implement more or
less an absolute grading system, only shifting the cut-offs by a mark or two at the most. But
many courses, and some that I have been a part of, don't follow this kind of trend. Mostly in
these type of examples, the exams are way too easy or way too difficult, so that the marks of
most of the class gets concentrated in one end. Now, giving everyone the same grade, good or
bad as the case may be, isn't a fair reflection of how the course went. Particularly, in the case
when the students get low marks, giving them low grades would amount to what some would
call an injustice - sometimes students would have a great grasp of the course but would still get
low marks because of the level of the questions set (One instructor in our institute is particularly
famous for it, IITD students would know him.. :D). Some people have suffered because the
instructor has implemented an absolute grading system in difficult courses, so clearly, it is not
the perfect system that it is made out to be.
Hence the only way out is relative grading. Currently, it is regarded as the fairest indicator of
separating students in such cases. If you can come up with a better system which can
differentiate the students, you are most welcome to post it.
P.S.: There is another class of courses, one in which your concerns are completely valid. It is the
kind of courses where the structure is such that the total marks are divided into so many
components that everyone in the class is bound to get a respectable score in the end. But the
instructor, following the relative grading system religiously, goes to the lengths of plotting
Gaussian curves and what-not, in order to ensure that each and every grade is allotted to
someone. This is the case where a mix of absolute and relative grading can be done (I would
know, I have suffered at the wrong end of this).
http://citl.illinois.edu/teaching-resources/evaluating-student-performance/assigning-coursegrades/course-grading-schemes/absolute-grading
Absolute Grading
Absolute grading is the only form of assigning grades which is compatible with mastery or nearmastery teaching and learning strategies. The instructor must be able to describe learner
behaviors expected at the end of instruction so that grading components can be determined and
measures can be built to evaluate performance. Objectives of instruction are provided for
students to guide their learning, and achievement measures (tests, papers, and projects) are
designed from the sets of objectives.
Each time achievement is measured, the score is compared with some criterion or standard set
by the instructor. Students who do not meet the minimum criterion level study further, rewrite
their paper, or make changes in their project to prepare to be evaluated again. This process
continues until the student meets the minimum standards established by the instructor. The
standards are an important key to the success of this grading method. The following example
illustrates how the procedures can be implemented step- by-step:
1. Assume that a test has been built using the objectives from two units of instruction.
Read each test item and decide if a student with minimum mastery could answer it

correctly. For short answer or essay items, decide how much of the ideal answer the
student must supply to demonstrate minimum mastery. Make subjective decisions, in
part, on the basis of whether or not the item measures important prerequisites for
subsequent units in the course or subsequent courses in the students' programs of
study.
2. The sum of the points from the above step represents the minimum score for mastery.
Next, decide what grade the criterion score should be associated with. (Assume for our
purposes that the criterion represents the C-B cutoff.)
3. Reexamine items which students are not necessarily expected to answer correctly to
show minimum mastery. Decide how many of these items "A" students should answer
correctly. Such students would exhibit exceptionally good preparation for later
instruction. (This step could be done concurrently with Step 1.)
4. Add the totals from Steps 1 and 3 to find the criterion score for the B-A grade cutoff.
5. Each criterion score set in the above fashion should be adjusted downward by 2-4
points. This adjustment takes measurement error into account. It compensates for the
fact that as test constructors, we may write a few ambiguous or highly difficult items
which a well-prepared student might miss due to our own inadequacies.
6. After the exam has been scored, assign "A," "B," and "C or less" grades using the
criterion scores. Students who earn "C or less" should be given a different but
equivalent form of the test within two weeks. A criterion score must be set for this test
as described in Step 1. Students who score above the criterion can earn a "B" at most.
Those who fail to meet the criterion on the second testing might be examined orally by
the instructor for subsequent checks on their mastery.
7. Weight the grades from the separate exams, papers, presentations, and projects
according to the percentages established at the outset of the course. Average the
weighted grades (using numerical equivalents, e.g., A = 5, B = 4, etc.) to determine
the course grade. Borderline cases can be reexamined using additional achievement
data from the course.
https://joblessenggstud.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/absolute-grading-or-relative-grading/
Absolute grading or Relative grading?
Posted: March 3, 2010 in Uncategorized
0
Aahh long time no new posts Let me be serious this time. The reason why i am writing this
post is because of a guy who buzzed cursing all nine pointers and relative grading. This guy feels
relative grading is stupid and impractical. He gave me an opportunity to explain my views on
Absolute Grading and Relative Grading. I thank that guy.
The methodology for grading students has been a hot topic among academicians. Frankly
speaking there has been less debate about it on mainstream media. If they have, then its my
fault. We all know different universities have their own grading system. VTU follows percentage
system, which is more or less absolute grading. IITs follow CPI or CGPA. My university follows
relative grading or CGPA. So lets get an insight into both Absolute and Relative grading.
Absolute grading:
This is how absolute grading works. >75% you get an A. 60-75 its B. 50-60, its C and so on.
What makes absolute grading different from relative grading is the difficulty of the question
paper and how lenient have the papers been corrected. If all the students screw the exam, they
end up getting a D or even F and may have to repeat the course. The onus is more on the
teachers to set a balanced paper. They might be compelled to set straightforward questions.
Sometime directly from text/reference books. Hence expect text book stuff on answer sheets.
Most of the US universities follow this grading system. Where this system works efficiently? Best

suited for univs like VTU. There are hell lot of colleges under VTU and its frigging difficult to
grade students relatively. Again its my opinion.
Relative grading:
I need not rant about it. Relative grading is dynamic, no fixed passing marks. Gives the faculty
more flexibility, but also more responsibility in deciding how to grade, how to consider the
continuous assessment scores of the students. The highest score in the class/department is
considered as a baseline. Rest of them are graded taking the ratio of their respective score to
highest score.
Now beauty of this is, it hides your score. Say you get 35 in Math and you are the highest you
get an A. It is always better to tell your parents that you got A, rather than telling you got 35 and
say just pass amma, like in the case of absolute grading. Let me remind you one again.
Relative grading is a continuous assessment of your performance. Your sessional scores are as
important as your end sem scores. And hey even your GATE, CAT scores are in percentile. What
about GRE? ETS also gives your percentile score by randomly choosing 3000 students (i guess
this doesnt matter much).
Now problem with relative grading is inconsistency. It all depends on the faculty, on how they
interpret the performance. This is the reason why students often find relative grading stupid. Let
me explain with another example. Say the ratio of your score to highest score is 8.99. Now you
may get A- (9) or B+(8.5), depends on teacher. Coming to continuous assessment, will the
faculty consider best of three quizzes?, or assignments? Again cant say. The students score
should reflect his performance and also his understanding of the subject. The teacher should
take care of such stuff. Its hell lot complicated than we think it is.
Is it the time for change in grading system? Can statisticians come up with a consistent model?
Alas, i dont have much time to write more; please do post your views. Maybe i will complete this
post later, i guess.