Do teachers decide ahead of time how many of each grade they are going to hand out?

Question

The last few quarters of college I have taken the same teachers twice a few times and they have given me an A the first time and B the second even though my work has been the same! I was wondering if anyone else thinks that at the beginning of the class, the professors say "ok, I'm going to assign 5 As 10 Bs 5 Cs" etc.

Answer 1

I've heard of some doing it in college.  I've even seen one high school teacher do when helping his grade some essays (i had known him all throughout college).  he only did it to all the A's to decide what percents they got. I thought he was kidding at first, but he was serious.

Answer 2

I've never heard of this.  But it could be that the professor just already knew your capabilities and expected you to go the extra mile the second time around.  When I had professors more than 1 time, they made it clear that they wanted more out of those students they had for previous classes.  Maybe you should talk to your professor and ask him/her to explain why you got the grade you got and what you can do to get a higher grade next time.

Answer 3

I've never done that before.  It may be that as you progress into higher level classes the professors expect more from you and grade more critically.  You could always ask them.

Answer 4

Nope. Never done that.

Answer 5

They shouldn't. Grades should be based on meeting criteria already established before the assignment is given. If a teacher is deciding ahead of time how many of each grade to give, he/she is hindering students from striving to do their own personal best. This is not the practice of a true educator; it is the work of someone merely drawing a paycheck.

Answer 6

I highly doubt that. You said your work was the same. I wonder if your professor was considering your "growth" when he/she was grading your work.

Answer 7

It's possible that some do, but it isn't good practice, and I believe most don't.  Are you sure your work is of the same standard?  Presumably the course does progress, and maybe the later assessments made demands that you didn't meet as well as the earlier ones.  Are your professors open to giving information if asked, such as in what ways the standard of your work was lower, how many As did they award each time, etc?

Answer 8

I wouldn't do it...and I've never heard of this before. An "A" is an "A" and a "B" is a "B". If you earn it, it should be awarded as such.

Answer 9

It is not ethic for a teacher to do what you mention at the end of your commentary.

Now, if you did the same in your second semester, then probably the teacher visualized that you didn't progress. Teachers work with what is called Standards of Education in which there are certain skills each student must master or dominate when each year passes, depending on how the students work each skill, depends the grade he or she will have. To regain your A's your gonna have to take it to the next level, never feel to overconfident, even when you are an A student, you need to study hard for what comes next.

Answer 10

Ah, grading on a curve.  Maybe times have changed, but when I was a student, the basic classes were supposed to be graded on a curve.  So many would be expected to get As, so many would get Bs, etc.  When I became a teacher, I found it wasn't necessary to consider grading on a curve.  A curve automatically occurred as a result of how the students, themselves, did--not what the teacher did.  

As a student, I did take general biology in college and scored high enough, that the teacher didn't include me in the grade curve.  

Nowadays, I don't know if teachers are still required to grade their basic classes on a curve.  Why not ask your professors?