Second-chance grading policy - CompSci 161, Spring 2026 (Dillencourt)

For this quarter, in this class we will adopt a "second-chance" grading policy.

In essence this policy states that if you do poorly on one of the two midterms (relative to the rest of the class) and do better on the final exam (again relative to the rest of the class), your score on one of the two midterms will be replaced by a higher score based on your score on the final.

Details of the policy

1. Compute an alternate score for each of the two midterms.
   
   • First, we will compute the median and standard deviation for the normalized scores on all three exams (the two midterms and the final). The population for this computation will be the students in the class who have taken all three exams.
   • Next, we will determine how many standard deviations above/below the median your final exam score was, using the median and standard deviation for the final exam. (Mathematically, we will solve the equation scoref = x*sf + mf for x, where scoref is your final exam score, sf is the standard deviation for the final exam scores, and mf is the final exam median.)
   • Your alternate Midterm 1 score is the score at the same number of standard deviations above/below the median in the Midterm 1 distribution as the final exam was in the final exam distribution. (Mathematically, it is x*s1 + m1, where x is the value computed in the previous step, s1 is the standard deviation for Midterm 1, and m1 is the median score on Midterm 1.) The alternative score will be capped at the cutoff for the A range. (This cutoff is currently 90, but it could change if the scale is changed when final grades are assigned.)
   • Your alternate Midterm 2 score is computed exactly as described in the previous bullet, except that "Midterm 1," m1, and s1 are respectively replaced by "Midterm 2," m2, and s2.
2. Replace your actual normalized score on one of the two midterms with your alternate score for that midterm.
   • We will replace the actual normalized score by the alternate score on at most one of the two midterms.
   • We will choose the midterm that benefits you the most
   • If neither alternate score is higher than the corresponding actual score, we will not change anything.

A final note