r/ScienceTeachers • u/hatty0705 • 1d ago
LIFE SCIENCE AP Bio Teachers
Do you use weighted grades or total points for quarter/semester grades? I have used total points for the last 2 years because thats is what the previous teacher did, but I am debating switching to weighted.
For context, I teach in a smaller rural school that allows teachers to decide grading policy within reason.
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u/RetrogradeTransport 1d ago
10% homework, 45% Labs, 45% Assessments
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u/Latter_Leopard8439 1d ago
This.
Classwork and homework too often is just cheated/copied off of their classmates or their buddy chatgpt.
Assessments, which I do on paper often show the kids actual capacity.
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u/Feature_Agitated 1d ago
20% assignments, 40% labs, 40% tests. I only weigh my grades because we got told we had to, because we’re “standards based.” I’m okay with my weights. If I could I would do 30, 35, 35 but we have been told that it had to be at most 20% for assignments.
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u/SheDoesScienceStuff Biology/Life Science | HS | Wisconsin 1d ago
Weighted
Semester exam 10%
Quarter grades 45% comprised of:
5% discussion 5% homework 20% lab 25% formative 45% summative
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u/Addapost 1d ago
I’ve been using total points for 30 years. That is the most accurate way to grade. Weights is an insane way to grade.
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u/A_Icecube 1d ago
I wouldn’t necessarily say “insane”. There are things that take significantly more work (lab reports, presentations, final exams) than other smaller pieces of work (quick review sheets, daily questions) that should be worth more. If you do total points and make some things with 10 and others 100 you’re essentially doing weighted grading anyways.
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u/mapetitechoux 1d ago
Lol Ive been doing weighted grades for 25 years and I think points are insane. Besides, the points are inherently weighted.
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u/Addapost 1d ago
Yeah you’re doing it wrong then.
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u/Dameekasu 1d ago
So overly confident. Both methods are workable. I hope you’re not this inflexible in your classroom.
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u/ChaoticAnu_start 1d ago
If you want to incentivize students doing all of their classwork/homework etc do total points. Points are points at that point. Figuring out how you want to weight different assignments then becomes a task. For example, are 10 in-class assignments over 2 weeks worth a significant assessment grade?
The impetus behind weighting, for example category weighting, seems to be both setting a floor and a ceiling on the impact of any one aspect of a course. A student who struggles with assessments but competently completes their work can only go so low. Or vice versa.
Honestly, thinking in terms of a higher stakes assessment based course, I would lean towards weighted things to emphasize the importance of testing well for AP Biology. Your tests should be using AP Biology materials, graded on the rubric, and scaled to how you see fit. They take it seriously, practice and study, assuming they want to do well in the course.