When dropping a student's lowest scores from a GradeBook category average, the scores dropped are those scores that, if dropped, would result in the highest category score for the student. These might not necessarily be the assignments with the lowest percentage scores or the lowest point scores.
Which assignments are dropped depends on three factors:
- the assignment scores
- the weighting of each assignment
- how your category average is calculated
Consider the following scenario where all assignments are weighted equally:
| Assignment | Points Earned/Possible | Weight | Category Average After Dropping Assignment (Normalized Scores) | Category Average After Dropping Assignment (Points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homework 1 | 6/10 | 1 | 75% | 76.67% |
| Homework 2 | 35/50 | 1 | 70% | 78.18% |
| Homework 3 | 80/100 | 1 | 65% | 68.33% |
- Homework 1 would be dropped if the category average was based on normalized scores.
- Homework 2 would be dropped if the category average was based on points, because its higher point value means that dropping it improves the student's score more than dropping Homework 1.
If, however, the same assignments were weighted differently:
| Assignment | Points Earned/Possible | Weight | Category Average After Dropping Assignment (Normalized Scores) | Category Average After Dropping Assignment (Points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homework 1 | 6/10 | 0.5 | 72.5% | 74% |
| Homework 2 | 35/50 | 3 | 73.33% | 79.05% |
| Homework 3 | 80/100 | 1 | 68.57% | 69.68% |
Homework 2 would be dropped either way the category average was calculated, even though it is not the student's lowest point or percentage score, because its increased weight relative to Homework 1 means that dropping it improves the student's score the most.