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From the article: Holley noted that final grades are determined by a complex formula in which instructors award points by ranking students according to class performance. That counts for 50 percent of the final grade, with a uniform, multiple-choice exam counting for the other half. The exams are evaluated by an outside contractor, who also calculates the final grade.
When they say 'ranking students according to class performance,' do they mean that students are pitted against each other, and that each student represents a specific place in the class rank (as in 5th of 50)? Or do they mean that students who perform to X level receive X rank, and all the students in the class could technically have the same rank?
Regarding the students not being permitted to see the exams, I wonder if the outside contractor who evaluates the exams still has possession of them. ??
Yuck @ the whole thing, though. Without knowing the ins and outs of law school, I'm hesitant to take a side. Was there a syllabus? Does it outline the grading system? Could the students have checked on their progress in the 'class performance' portion of their grade? If so, did they? There are just so many holes here.
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Never let the facts stand in the way of a good answer. -Tom Magliozzi
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