Ron, You're right, grading systems ideally should do what they're designed for - to measure learning. Unfortunately, sometimes formulas or templates from past classes are used, sometimes only because they look good. We want to measure learning. However we can best do that, that is the way we should set up the components. And it may have to vary from class to class, just as the mix of diversity, learning styles, and past preparation all factor into what an accurate grading scale should be comprised of, so should the grading scale. Barry Westling