American Marking System

How is it different than Canadian system? Is it easier to get higher average?

Do you get Levels or percentage?

How is it different than Canadian system? Is it easier to get higher average?

Do you get Levels or percentage?

namby_trojan

Most Americans will have no idea about what you just said, since none of that terminology is used in the US system. Since I'm one of those people, I'll just describe the system to you. Keep in mind this is just the system I had when I went through school, which to my understanding is the usual system, although I have heard of significant differences at other schools:

Your success in a subject is measured in grades. The grades are A, B, C, D, F, and in some cases I. The breakdown goes like this:

A - 90%-100%
B - 80%-89%
C - 71%-79%
D - 70%
F - 69% or less
I - Incomplete (neither pass nor fail)

Typically you can only pass a c.lass with a grade of C or higher, though with many schools you only fail if you get an F (its damn near impossible to get a D anyway so that usually doesn't matter). Also, with some schools the range for getting a D is wider (say 65-70% or something), though with my experience that's what it usually is. Also, some schools use a plus/minus system, which seperates the grading scale even more. Something like that may look like:

A+ = 98% or higher
A = 93%-97%
A- = 90%-92%

And so on.

Finally there's the Grade Point Average (GPA), which is on a four point scale (1.0 - 4.0). Like the name suggests, its the average of the grades you got from each class. There's two different ways to calculate it. Numerically (taking the mean of all the numerical grades you got in your classes. So (92+85+100)/3 for example. And then there's assigning a number to each letter grade and taking the average of that (with that method A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0). So with that a 2.5 GPA is passing.

As for whether or not its harder or easier to get a higher grade, I have no idea since I've never been in a Canadian school.

gameguy6700

hmm, that's different than mine was but similar. 

Ok, thanks, but say on a test, you've got 19/20, what mark is that? Do they give you a letter (A or B....) or they give you percentage? THanks.namby_trojan

take 19 divide by 20

95%

Thats an A

ok, thanks for the replies, but I just don't get it. How is it possible for someone who got 87% average at highest in Canada, got 98% average in U.S.??namby_trojan

I dont really understand the question, but I'm assuming you mean they had an 87% average in Canada, then when they moved to the US that transferred over to a 98%. If that's the case, the answer probably lies in the GPA system. The Canadian school they went to probably took the percentage they got in each class, added it together, then divided by the number of classes taken. So if they got a bunch of low 90's (90, 91, 92), high 80's (87, 88, 89), they would have gotten an 87% in the Canadian system. But if they moved down to the US to a school that first uses the percentage mark in each class to assign a letter grade (such as A and B) without using a +/- system to differentiate between a high grade and a low grade, and from there assigns those letter grades a new numerical 4.0 scale grade (A = 4, B = 3, etc.), and then takes that 4.0 scale grade to get the average, their average mark would have skyrocked if they got mostly low 90's. So for example (And let me emphasize that I'm just going to list off random numbers. I know they wont add up to an 87 mean, I'm just trying to make a point):

Kid's grades: 90, 91, 90, 92, 90, 72 

Canadian system: (90+91+90+92+90+72)/6 = 87

US system: 90 = A = 4, 91 = A = 4, 90 = A = 4, 92 = A = 4, 92 = A = 4, 72 = C = 2
(4+4+4+4+4+2)/6 = 3.9 = 98

So the Canadian system goes by the mean average, the US system goes by the median average (when done correctly, which in this case it wasn't. had it used a +/- system to discern a low A from a high A, it would have given him a much more representative average).

[QUOTE="namby_trojan"]

How is it different than Canadian system? Is it easier to get higher average?

Do you get Levels or percentage?

gameguy6700

Most Americans will have no idea about what you just said, since none of that terminology is used in the US system. Since I'm one of those people, I'll just describe the system to you. Keep in mind this is just the system I had when I went through school, which to my understanding is the usual system, although I have heard of significant differences at other schools:

Your success in a subject is measured in grades. The grades are A, B, C, D, F, and in some cases I. The breakdown goes like this:

A - 90%-100%
B - 80%-89%
C - 71%-79%
D - 70%
F - 69% or less
I - Incomplete (neither pass nor fail)

What the hell?  At my school it's:

A - 94%-100%
B - 85%-93%
C - 75%-84%
D - 64%-74%
F - 63.4 and below

Why the hell is your D only at 70%??  My old school was similar to yours.  But here, it's soo much harder to get As.

[QUOTE="gameguy6700"][QUOTE="namby_trojan"]

How is it different than Canadian system? Is it easier to get higher average?

Do you get Levels or percentage?

helium_flash

Most Americans will have no idea about what you just said, since none of that terminology is used in the US system. Since I'm one of those people, I'll just describe the system to you. Keep in mind this is just the system I had when I went through school, which to my understanding is the usual system, although I have heard of significant differences at other schools:

Your success in a subject is measured in grades. The grades are A, B, C, D, F, and in some cases I. The breakdown goes like this:

A - 90%-100%
B - 80%-89%
C - 71%-79%
D - 70%
F - 69% or less
I - Incomplete (neither pass nor fail)

What the hell? At my school it's:

A - 94%-100%
B - 85%-93%
C - 75%-84%
D - 64%-74%
F - 63.4 and below

Why the hell is your D only at 70%?? My old school was similar to yours. But here, it's soo much harder to get As.

Like I said in my first post, that was just my experience. Every school system has its own way of doing things, which is why colleges usually ask you for the numerical grades you got in each c.lass and/or ask you to calculuate your GPA under their standards when applying, along with a transcript, instead of asking for a letter grade. Anyway, from my experience the system I described is the norm. I say that because most of the people I talk to had the same grading system I described, every college I applied to c.lassified the letter grades the way I did, and the college I go to currently uses the same grading system that I described (though with a few differences). Of course, there are plenty of systems out there that use ones similar to the one you describe, and I have met a few people that had a grading system similar to yours. Like I said, every school system in the country has its own way of doing things (because god forbid we develop some sort of standard).

As for why my school had a D only at 70%, I dont know. I always wondered that myself since it seemed kind of pointless. I guess they figured that the D grade was redundant, and that all it needs to be used for is to point out that you only barely passed a c.lass.

Oh, and sorry about the whole "c.lass" thing. GS edits my post if I try to type it without the period. 

[QUOTE="namby_trojan"]ok, thanks for the replies, but I just don't get it. How is it possible for someone who got 87% average at highest in Canada, got 98% average in U.S.??gameguy6700

I dont really understand the question, but I'm assuming you mean they had an 87% average in Canada, then when they moved to the US that transferred over to a 98%. If that's the case, the answer probably lies in the GPA system. The Canadian school they went to probably took the percentage they got in each class, added it together, then divided by the number of classes taken. So if they got a bunch of low 90's (90, 91, 92), high 80's (87, 88, 89), they would have gotten an 87% in the Canadian system. But if they moved down to the US to a school that first uses the percentage mark in each class to assign a letter grade (such as A and B) without using a +/- system to differentiate between a high grade and a low grade, and from there assigns those letter grades a new numerical 4.0 scale grade (A = 4, B = 3, etc.), and then takes that 4.0 scale grade to get the average, their average mark would have skyrocked if they got mostly low 90's. So for example (And let me emphasize that I'm just going to list off random numbers. I know they wont add up to an 87 mean, I'm just trying to make a point):

Kid's grades: 90, 91, 90, 92, 90, 72 

Canadian system: (90+91+90+92+90+72)/6 = 87

US system: 90 = A = 4, 91 = A = 4, 90 = A = 4, 92 = A = 4, 92 = A = 4, 72 = C = 2
(4+4+4+4+4+2)/6 = 3.9 = 98

So the Canadian system goes by the mean average, the US system goes by the median average (when done correctly, which in this case it wasn't. had it used a +/- system to discern a low A from a high A, it would have given him a much more representative average).

It's not that his marks were transfered. Ok, he finished Gr. 8 with 87%, and then moved to U.S. and started Gr. 9 and got 98% average. That's nearly impossible. wtf?

[QUOTE="gameguy6700"][QUOTE="namby_trojan"]

How is it different than Canadian system? Is it easier to get higher average?

Do you get Levels or percentage?

helium_flash

Most Americans will have no idea about what you just said, since none of that terminology is used in the US system. Since I'm one of those people, I'll just describe the system to you. Keep in mind this is just the system I had when I went through school, which to my understanding is the usual system, although I have heard of significant differences at other schools:

Your success in a subject is measured in grades. The grades are A, B, C, D, F, and in some cases I. The breakdown goes like this:

A - 90%-100%
B - 80%-89%
C - 71%-79%
D - 70%
F - 69% or less
I - Incomplete (neither pass nor fail)

What the hell? At my school it's:

A - 94%-100%
B - 85%-93%
C - 75%-84%
D - 64%-74%
F - 63.4 and below

Why the hell is your D only at 70%?? My old school was similar to yours. But here, it's soo much harder to get As.

Ok, thanks, but say on a test, you've got 19/20, what mark is that? Do they give you a letter (A or B....) or they give you percentage? THanks.namby_trojan

that depends on the school or district that you attend.  Most schools would mark it as an A, while a few would mark it as  95%.

[QUOTE="gameguy6700"]

[QUOTE="namby_trojan"]ok, thanks for the replies, but I just don't get it. How is it possible for someone who got 87% average at highest in Canada, got 98% average in U.S.??namby_trojan

I dont really understand the question, but I'm assuming you mean they had an 87% average in Canada, then when they moved to the US that transferred over to a 98%. If that's the case, the answer probably lies in the GPA system. The Canadian school they went to probably took the percentage they got in each class, added it together, then divided by the number of classes taken. So if they got a bunch of low 90's (90, 91, 92), high 80's (87, 88, 89), they would have gotten an 87% in the Canadian system. But if they moved down to the US to a school that first uses the percentage mark in each class to assign a letter grade (such as A and B) without using a +/- system to differentiate between a high grade and a low grade, and from there assigns those letter grades a new numerical 4.0 scale grade (A = 4, B = 3, etc.), and then takes that 4.0 scale grade to get the average, their average mark would have skyrocked if they got mostly low 90's. So for example (And let me emphasize that I'm just going to list off random numbers. I know they wont add up to an 87 mean, I'm just trying to make a point):

Kid's grades: 90, 91, 90, 92, 90, 72

Canadian system: (90+91+90+92+90+72)/6 = 87

US system: 90 = A = 4, 91 = A = 4, 90 = A = 4, 92 = A = 4, 92 = A = 4, 72 = C = 2
(4+4+4+4+4+2)/6 = 3.9 = 98

So the Canadian system goes by the mean average, the US system goes by the median average (when done correctly, which in this case it wasn't. had it used a +/- system to discern a low A from a high A, it would have given him a much more representative average).

It's not that his marks were transfered. Ok, he finished Gr. 8 with 87%, and then moved to U.S. and started Gr. 9 and got 98% average. That's nearly impossible. wtf?

Not really, there's a bunch of things that could have happened.

First off, he could have gone to a difficult Canadian middle school and then went to an average difficulty US high school. Or he could have gone to an average CA middle school and went to a bad US high school (which we supposedly have a lot of), or a combination of the two.

Also, in the US we have different difficulty levels so to speak for each c.lass Typically (not always, but usually) a school has a set of c.lasses that look something like this: Regular (most people find these c.lasses easy), Advanced (harder than regular cl.asses, but easier than...), Honors/Gifted (limited to only to students with high grades/students in the gifted program), Advanced Placement (on par with a college course). Granted the difficulty of these c.lasses changes dramatically depending on what school you go to (and some schools may not even offer seperate difficulties of c.lasses, or may offer even more). For instance, at an inner city school an AP c.lass probably isnt going to be very difficult, whereas at a rich, suburban school it could exceed the difficulty of a real college c.lass(as was the case at my high school). So your friend could have just taken the road of least resistance and pulled off straight A's without any effort by just taking regular c.lasses.

and on an off-topic note, this censoring of the word "c.lass" is really starting to get to me :evil:

The grades in my school district where much tighter. 93% was where A Ended. Lowest B Was 85% Lowest C was 79% and Lowest D was 72%. MagnumPI

Yea mine were like that until I got into highschool.

Also alot of my teachers would use a curve (not bell, but the one where the highest students its the standard, and one class I took in college it was so aweful that the curve was somewhere in the low 80s.  I got an A in the class with a 78%.

[QUOTE="MagnumPI"] The grades in my school district where much tighter. 93% was where A Ended. Lowest B Was 85% Lowest C was 79% and Lowest D was 72%. jrhawk42

Yea mine were like that until I got into highschool.

Also alot of my teachers would use a curve (not bell, but the one where the highest students its the standard, and one class I took in college it was so aweful that the curve was somewhere in the low 80s.  I got an A in the class with a 78%.

  The curve is also set higher because they only want so many kids to gets A's and B's. It's all determined by statistics. If too many kids are getting A's then it must be too easy. They don't want all winners. Students are and weeded out and the rest are groomed. The standard is to make sure only so many A's. Even if that means making it ridiculously difficult. Just like Snipre school. They want the best. So they continue to increase the difficulty until only a few of them are elite enough to be better than the rest.  They don't want 100 excellent snipers. They want 10 superb snipers. Snipers, students, it's the same idea.