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Bell Curve Grading
In education, grading on a bell curve is a method of assigning grades designed to yield a desired distribution of grades among the students in a class. Strictly speaking, grading "on a bell curve" refers to the assigning of grades according to the frequency distribution known as the Normal distribution (also called the Gaussian distribution), whose graphical representation is referred to as the Normal curve or the bell curve. Because bell curve grading assigns grades to students based on their relative performance in comparison to classmates' performance, the term "bell curve grading" came, by extension, to be more loosely applied to any method of assigning grades that makes use of comparison between students' performances, though this type of grading does not necessarily actually make use of any frequency distribution such as the bell-shaped Normal distribution.
In true use of bell curve grading, students' scores are scaled according to the frequency distribution represented by the Normal curve. The instructor can decide what grade occupies the center of the distribution. This is the grade an average score will earn, and will be the most common. Traditionally, in the ABCDF system this is the 'C' grade. The instructor can also decide what portion of the frequency distribution each grade occupies and whether or not high and low grades are symmetrically assigned area under the curve (i.e. if the top 15% of students earn an 'A,' do the bottom 15% fail or might only the bottom 5% fail?). In a system of pure curve grading, the number of students who will receive each grade is already determined at the beginning of a course.
Other forms of "curved" grading vary, but one of the most common is to add to all students' absolute scores the difference between the top student's score and the maximum possible score. For example, if the top score on an exam is 55 out of 60, all students' absolute scores (meaning they have not been adjusted relative to other students' scores in any way) will be increased by 5 before being compared to a pre-determined set of grading benchmarks (for example the common A>90%>B>80% etc. system). This method prevents unusually hard assignments (usually exams) from unfairly reducing students' grades but relies on the assumption that the top student's performance is a good measure of an assignment's difficulty.
In the U.S., strict bell-curve grading is rare at the primary and secondary school levels (elementary to high school) but is common at the university level.
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- Education Topics
- Achievement Gap
- Alternative Education
- Assessment & Evaluation
- Educational Leadership
- Educational Philosophy
- Educational Research
- Educational Technology
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- Education Policy
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- Education Reform
- Education Theory
- Education Worldwide
- Federal Education Legislation
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- Homeschooling in the United States
- Migrant Education
- Neglected/Deliquent Students
- Pedagogy
- Sociology of Education
- Special Needs
- National Directories
- After School Programs
- Alternative Schools
- The Arts
- At-Risk Students
- Camps
- Camp Services
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- Driving Schools
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- Higher Education
- International Programs
- Jewish Community Centers
- K-12 Schools
- Language Studies
- Libraries
- Organizations
- Preschools
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- Prom Services
- School Assemblies
- School Districts
- School Field Trips
- School Health
- School Supplies
- School Travel
- School Vendors
- Schools Worldwide
- Special Education
- Special Needs
- Study Abroad
- Teaching Abroad
- Volunteer Programs
- Youth Sports
- For Schools
- Academic Standards
- Assembly Programs
- Blue Ribbon Schools Program
- Educational Accreditation
- Educational Television Channels
- Education in the United States
- History of Education in the United States
- Reading Education in the U.S.
- School Grades
- School Meal Programs
- School Types
- School Uniforms
- Special Education in the United States
- Systems of Formal Education
- U.S. Education Legislation
- For Teachers
- Academic Dishonesty
- Childcare State Licensing Requirements
- Classroom Management
- Education Subjects
- Educational Videos
- Interdisciplinary Teaching
- Job and Interview Tips
- Lesson Plans | Grades
- Professional Development
- State Curriculum Standards
- Substitute Teaching
- Teacher Salary
- Teacher Training Programs
- Teaching Methods
- Training and Certification
- For Students
- Academic Competitions
- Admissions Testing
- At-Risk Students
- Career Planning
- College Admissions
- Drivers License
- Educational Programs
- Educational Television
- Educational Videos
- High School Dropouts
- Higher Education
- School Health
- Senior Proms
- Sex Education
- Standardized Testing
- Student Financial Aid
- Student Television Stations
- Summer Learning Loss