Exam Grading In grading the exam, do you use an analytic or a holistic scoring scheme (assigning points for individual steps or overall "level" of solution)? Do students start at 0 points and earn points for correct statements or do they start at 100% and lose points for mistakes? Do you give partial credit for answers and if so, how do you assign partial credit? Do you have an expected "average" score on the exam for each class? Do you "curve" exam scores?
Do you use a straight total or percentage correct to be added to other points in the course to contribute towards a total grade, or do you give a grade to each exam?

In assigning course grades, do you "curve" student scores? Based on what mechanisms?

My grading system is more analytic than holistic. Students start at 0 points and earn points for k knowledge and abilities that they demonstrate. I assign partial credit for solutions that are partially correct and for demonstrating partial but flawed or incomplete understanding. Most frustrating to students is that I sometimes award less than full credit even when a mistake has not been made but because I find the quality of the explanation or communication lacking in some respect.

I am generally satisfied if the median score on an exam is in the low 80's. I rarely "curve" exam scores but do occasionally if the scores are particularly low or if I believe in hindsight that an exam was unusually difficult.

I try to make the total points equal 100 on an exam, which is equivalent to grading each exam on a percentage basis. I avoid assigning letter grades to individual exams, as I emphasize to students that it's the weighted average of their grade components that gets assigned a letter grade in the end. But I also tell students that they can do no worse than the letter grades based on a 90-80-70-60 scale.

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