GRADING POLICY
MTH 255

Grades:
Your grade consists of two parts, an exam grade and a recitation grade.
Midterm, Final, Final
Thus, if you do better on the final than the midterm, then the midterm doesn't count. Note that the final counts twice, so that a poor final still counts (at least) once.
If your recitation grade is satisfactory, that's it. If your recitation grade is unsatisfactory, your course grade is lowered one step, from A- to B+ to B to B-, etc. (The one exception is that a solid A will not be lowered.)
Recitations:
There will be a group activity each week during recitation. Most activities will involve some sort of presentation at the end of class, as well as a written summary due the following day, although not everyone will be expected to present or write in a given week.
A grade of satisfactory requires participation in at least 8 of the 10 activities.
Participation in turn requies attendance, including on-time arrival and not leaving early.
Homework:
Except during exam weeks, several homework problems will be assigned at the beginning of each week. You should bring your written solutions to the recitation period. Usually, only one of these problems will actually be corrected.
A satisfactory homework grade requires at least 8 of the 10 homework assignments to be turned in on time.
Your overall homework score counts as the equivalent of a single recitation, that is, failure to obtain a satisfactory homework grade reduces the number of allowed absences from recitation from 2 to 1.
Exams:
There will be a single midterm and a final. All exams will be closed book; calculators will not be permitted. The use of (both sides of) a 3×5 index card of notes is permitted. The final is comprehensive, and will be roughly 35-40% on old material and roughly 60-65% on new material.
(The index cards are cumulative: you may bring all previous cards to all subsequent exams.)
Absences:
Absences for whatever reason are normally covered by the ability to drop the lowest exam grade and to miss up to 2 recitations. If you are absent from more than the allowed number of exams, you will normally receive a grade of I (incomplete), which would be made up by taking the appropriate exam(s) the next time the course is offered. If you miss more than the allowed number of recitations, this will reduce your course grade as noted above.
Please note that missing the final automatically results in a grade of I.
(If you are not doing passing work otherwise, missing the final results in a grade of F.)
Makeups:
Makeup exams will only be given in truly exceptional cases. There will be no makeups of the group activities, although it is usually possible to arrange to participate in another section the same day.
Cheating:
My policy on cheating can be found here.