A Cumulative Grading System is a way for schools to check and show how well a student is doing in their studies. In the Philippines, there are two main grading systems used in schools: the Cumulative Grading System in the Philippines and the Average Grading System in the Philippines. Both systems are used to measure a student’s performance, but they work in different ways and use different methods to calculate grades.
In this article, we will focus on the Cumulative Grading System. We will explain how it works, why it is used, what makes it helpful, and what challenges it may bring. This will help students, teachers, and parents understand the system better and know how it affects learning and final grades.
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The Cumulative Grading System
When we talk about the “cumulative system,” we are referring to a method of calculating grades that is slightly different from the traditional way most students are used to.
In the usual (average) grading system, your final grade is found by adding up all your scores and then dividing by the number of items. This gives you the average score. It’s a quick way to measure performance during a specific period.
However, the cumulative grading system works differently. Instead of averaging your scores, it adds together all the points you earned and compares them to the total number of possible points. This gives a more complete picture of your overall performance.
If you are a student in the Philippines and you have completed three assignments. You received the following scores:
Assignment 1: 95out of 100
Assignment 2: 70 out of 100
Assignment 3: 80 out of 100
By using the average method, you add all your scores like this: 95 + 70 + 80 = 245. Then divide by 3 (no. of assignments) that is 245 ÷ 3 = 81.6
Now, by using the cumulative method, you add the total points earned: 245. Then, you also add the total possible points: 100 + 100 + 100 = 300.
Now calculate your grade:
(245 ÷ 300) × 100 = 81.6
As you can see, both methods result in the same final score — 81.6. However, the way the grade is calculated is different.
Read more: Department of Education Philippines.
The Average grading system
In the Average Grading System, which is commonly used in the Philippines’ K to 12 education program, a student’s grade for a specific period is calculated by finding the average of all their scores, both past and present. This method takes all the grades a student has received during the grading period, adds them up, and then divides the total by the number of assessments. The result is the average score, often called the “middle score.
1.0 = Excellent
1.5 = Very Good
2.0 = Good
2.5 = Satisfactory
3.0 = Passed
4.0 = Conditional Failure
5.0 = Failed
DRP = Dropped
EXT = Extended
Difference Between Average & Cumulative Grading System
Both the Grade Point Average (GPA) and the Cumulative Grading System are used to measure a student’s academic performance in school. However, they serve slightly different purposes and cover different timeframes.
The GPA is usually calculated for a specific term or semester. It reflects a student’s academic performance during that short period. On the other hand, the Cumulative Average is calculated over the student’s entire academic stay at a particular school. It includes grades from all terms or semesters completed so far.
Both the GPA and Cumulative GWA are based on the grades received in each subject, as well as the credit hours or weight assigned to each course. Subjects with more credit units have a bigger impact on the final average.
Conclusion
This article has highlighted the Cumulative Grading System used in the Philippines and how it measures students’ academic performance. Unlike the traditional method that calculates grades based on averages, the cumulative system adds all the possible points and the points earned by students, providing a comprehensive view of their progress over time.
Additionally, we briefly discussed the Average Grading System, which calculates a student’s grade by finding the middle point between their past and current grades.
FAQS
- What does the cumulative grading system mean?
The cumulative grading system is a method of calculating a student’s grade by adding up all the points earned and all the possible points across multiple assignments or grading periods. - Can teachers use both the average and cumulative grading methods together?
Yes, some teachers may combine both methods depending on their grading policies. - How does cumulative grading differ from the average grading system?
Cumulative grading sums up all the points earned and possible points over time, while the average grading system calculates the mean of all scores by dividing the total points by the number of assessments. - Is the cumulative grading system considered more reliable than averaging?
The cumulative grading system is often viewed as more reliable because it accounts for the total effort and weight of each assignment. It reduces the impact of a single low or high score. - Why do some schools in the Philippines prefer the cumulative grading system?
Many schools in the Philippines prefer the cumulative grading system because it provides a more comprehensive and fair evaluation of a student’s performance.
