Grade Transmutation

Prepared by: Abraham Daniel C. Cruz, MD, MSc, FPSECP

Also known as “curving” grades
• relative grading procedure
• assigns grades for assessments based on the performance of the class as a
whole
• major reason to curve a grade - majority of students performed below
expected
• IMPLICATION: assessment was out of range (scope or difficulty)
• curving methods
• mathematical adjustment
• allow opportunities for students to recoup lost points
FEU-NRMF Experience
• Multiplying the raw score with a “factor” after determination of MPL any
number which is deemed “fair”
• Example MPL is 65 (i.e. 65 ➔ 75)
• 75/65 ~ 1.15
• Multiply all scores by 1.15
• Scores above 100 remain as 100
 There are no hard and fast rules in grade
transmutation.

You (and your department) will need to decide

which method you think is appropriate and fair.
Method 1 – Set the highest grade as 100%
• One of the most common methods of curving grades
• Set the highest score as the “new” 100%
• Step 1 - Subtract the highest score from 100
• Ex. If the highest score is 90%, 100 minus 90 = 10
• Step 2 – Add the difference to every score
• Ex Add 10% to every score
• Also applicable to absolute scores
• If the highest score was 17/20, add 3 points to every score
• *Does not take the MPL into consideration
Method 2 – Flat-Scale Curve
• useful when there are some especially difficult items that a large proportion of
the class missed
• Adding the the same number of points to each grade, either:
• Number of points (or partial credit) that an item that most of the class
missed was worth
• Some arbitrary number which you think is fair
• Similar to method 1 but does not set the highest score as 100%
• It is possible that none of the grades become 100%
• Allows for scores over 100%
• *May or may not take the MPL into consideration
Method 3 – Setting a limit for failing grade
• Mitigates the effect of a few very low scores on the student’s final grade
• Useful for when a student (or a class) did poorly in an assessment but has
improved
• Indirectly takes into account the efforts that the student (or class) has made to
make improvements in class performance
• A few low scores are less likely to pull a student’s overall grades down
• Ex. 0% - 40% = 40%
• No curve = 0% + 30% + 75% + 90% = 48.75%
• With curve = 40% + 40% + 75% + 90% = 61.25%
Method 4 = Bell curve (normal; distribution)
• Assumption: grades on an assessment are distributed in a bell curve
• Few students – high scores
• Most students – mid-range scores
• Few students – low scores
• Useful for letter grades with ranges (A,B, C, D, F)
Method 4 = Bell curve (normal; distribution)
• Example:
• Few students – 80s
• Most students – 60s
• Few students – 40s
• The mean (overall average) of the class becomes the middle C
• Decide how many points separate the letter grades in the new bell curve. This
can also be based on standard deviations
• Assign grades based on the new bell curve
• How to grade on a bell curve
• [Link]
• How to create a bell curve in Excel
• [Link]
Method 5 = Linear scale grading curve
Method 5 = Linear scale grading curve
• Most, if not all grading systems are linear; expressed as:
y = m*x + b

m = slope
b = base
x = score between 0 to 100
y = corresponding grade

Transmuted grade = slope*raw score + base

We can predict the corresponding grade of any score

between 0 to 100 if we know the slope and the base
Example 1
• In one exam
• If we want a grade of zero (0) if the score is zero (0), then we can have
one of the points in the line as (0, 0) = (x1, y1)
• If we want to give a grade of 100 if the score is 100, then we have a
second point in the line as (100, 100) = (x2, y2)
• The resulting system of linear equations are:
0 = 0*m + b
and
100 = 100m + b
We need to solve for m and b
Example 1
• Given: 0 = 0*m + b and 100 = 100m + b
• Solve for m
• Recall basic algebra
• 100 = 100m + b is the same as b = 100 – 100m
• Substitute b in the first equation:
• 0 = 0*m + 100 – 100m
• Transfer numbers with the same variables on each side:
• 0 – 100 = 0*m – 100m
• - 100 = 0 – 100m
• Divide both sides by – 100 to get the value of m
• - 100/-100 = -100m/-100
• m=1
Example 1
• Given: 0 = 0*m + b 100 = 100m + b m=1
• Solve for b
• Substitute the value of m for any of the linear equations
• 100 = 100 (1) + b
• 100 = 100 + b
• 100 – 100 = b
• b=0
• The linear equation for this example is y = (1)x + 0 or simply, y = x
• In this example, there is actually no transmutation because the raw score is the
same as the corresponding grade
• This is a BASE 0 grading system
Example 2
• What if:
• A score of zero (0) corresponds to a grade of 50, while a score of 100 still
corresponds to a score of 100? The resulting system of linear equations
are:

50 = 0*m + b
and
100 = 100m + b

Let’s solve for the slope (m) and the base (b).
Example 2
• Given: 50 = 0*m + b and 100 = 100m + b
• Solve for m
• Recall basic algebra
• 100 = 100m + b is the same as b = 100 – 100m
• Substitute b in the first equation:
• 50 = 0*m + 100 – 100m
• Transfer numbers with the same variables on each side:
• 50 – 100 = 0m – 100m
• - 50 = 0 – 100m
• Divide both sides by – 100 to get the value of m
• - 50/-100 = -100m/-100
• m = 0.5
Example 2
• Given: 50 = 0*m + b 100 = 100m + b m = 0.5
• Solve for b
• Substitute the value of m for any of the linear equations
• 100 = 100 (0.5) + b
• 100 = 50 + b
• 100 – 50 = b
• b = 50
• The linear equation for this example is y = (0.5)x + 50
• Transmuted grade = [(0.5)(Raw score)] + 50
• This equation can be used in Microsoft Excel
• This is a BASE 50 grading system (i.e. a 0 = 50)
Example 3 – Using the MPL in the Linear Scale
Grading Curve
• Given: MPL = 65 (i.e 65 ➔ 75); 100 ➔ 100

75 = m*65 + b

100 = m*100 + b
Example 3 – Using the MPL in the Linear Scale
Grading Curve
• Given: 75 = 65*m + b and 100 = 100*m + b
• Solve for m
• Recall basic algebra
• 100 = 100m + b is the same as b = 100 – 100m
• Substitute b in the first equation:
• 75 = 65m + 100 – 100m
• Transfer numbers with the same variables on each side:
• 75 – 100 = 65m – 100m
• - 25 = -35m
• Divide both sides by – 35 to get the value of m
• - 25/-35 = -35m/-35
• m ~ 0.714
Example 3 – Using the MPL in the Linear Scale
Grading Curve
• Given: 75 = 65*m + b 100 = 100*m + b m = 0.714
• Solve for b
• Substitute the value of m for any of the linear equations
• 100 = 100 (0.714) + b
• 100 = 71.4 + b
• 100 – 71.4 = b
• b ~ 28.59
• The linear equation for this example is y = (0.714)x + 28.59
• Transmuted grade = [(0.714)(Raw score)] + 28.59

Personal thought: transmuting the lower scores only benefits those who did poorly, but does
not reward those who performed well
Example 4 = Transmuting the MPL to 75% and Setting
the Highest Grade as 100% in the Linear Scale Grading
Curve
• Given: MPL = 65 (i.e 65 ➔ 75); 89 ➔ 100

75 = m*65 + b

100 = m*89 + b
Example 4 = Transmuting the MPL to 75% and Setting
the Highest Grade as 100% in the Linear Scale Grading
Curve
• Given: 75 = 65*m + b and 89 = 100*m + b
• Solve for m
• Recall basic algebra
• 100 = 89m + b is the same as b = 100 – 89m
• Substitute b in the first equation:
• 75 = 65m + 100 – 89m
• Transfer numbers with the same variables on each side:
• 75 – 100 = 65m – 89m
• - 25 = -24m
• Divide both sides by – 24 to get the value of m
• - 25/-24 = -24m/-24
• m ~ 1.04166 ~ 1.042
Example 4 = Transmuting the MPL to 75% and Setting
the Highest Grade as 100% in the Linear Scale Grading
Curve
• Given: 75 = 65*m + b 100 = 89*m + b m = 1.042
• Solve for b
• Substitute the value of m for any of the linear equations
• 100 = 89 (1.042) + b
• 100 = 92.738 + b
• 100 – 92.738 = b
• b ~ 7.262
• The linear equation for this example is y = (1.042)x + 7.27
• Transmuted grade = [(1.042)(Raw score)] + 7.27
DERIVATIVE FORMULA – simplification of the
linear scale grading curve
• The derivative measures the steepness of the graph of a given function at some
particular point on the graph. Thus, the derivative is also measured as the slope. It
means it is a ratio of change in the value of the function to change in the independent
variable.

f(x) = y1 + ((y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1)) (x - x1)

where:
(x1, y1) = 1st point
(x2, y2) = 2nd point
x = individual grade
f(x) = transmuted grade
DERIVATIVE FORMULA
• Example
• Given: MPL = 65 (i.e 65 ➔ 75); 89 ➔ 100
• (x1, y1) = (65, 75) and (x2, y2) = (89, 100)
• x = 70

• Simply substitute the value of x in the derivative formula

• f(x) = y1 + ((y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1)) (x - x1)
• f(70) = 75 + ((100-75)/(89-65)) (70-65)
• f(70) = 80.21
WORKSHOP
PLENARY
THANK YOU!!!