Response Grade Progression

     Individually, responses are not worth much. Per response you get points as follows: 1.25 / S, 1 / P, .5 / F, and 0 / N (obviously because nothing was turned in. Collectively, however, the Responses are worth more than individual essay assignments. The point of responses is a consistent, good effort that shows you are mastering the material. Do not  underestimate them!
     The points you receive from responses are as follow (when responses are worth 30):
     A = 30
     B = 26.5
     C = 22.5
     F = (total of individual response scores to a maximum of 10.
     So you can see, passing and completing responses is vital to the course.
     The number of responses you need to pass the class depends on the number of class days throughout the term; the syllabus will tell you the exact number, so you should consult it; for the sake of example we'll assume a class with 15 total responses (the progression is largely the same for 10, 12, or 20 responses).
     In a 15 response class the requirement of responses is:
     4 S + 8 P   = A
     12 P (& S) = B
       8 P (& S) = C
     Now, consider Student A, who received the following response scores:    

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
p	p	s	n	f	n	s	f	f	p	f	f	f	s	s

     Student A has 3 P and 4 S grades. Despite having 4 S grades (which is good), Student A didn't reach the required 8 passing scores. As such, his grade for the responses caps at 10 pts, as shown on the chart below.

     The scores are only marginally better than if Student A had failed every single response. Now, consider the scores of Student B:

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
p	s	p	p	s	n	p	p	s	p	p	p	p	p	s

     Notice how the score jumps at each level. After 8 passing responses, the score jumps up. After 12 passing, it jumps again. It finally jumps a third time after reaching the required 4 S and & P mark.
     It's also important to note that responses 10, 11, and 12 did not make the score go up at all. This is because the score won't change until Student B reaches the next requirement to jump to the next plateau.

     Also notice that Student B's grade went beyond the 30 point mark. This is because when you pass more than the required responses or get more S grades than required, they automatically generate extra credit.
     The last chart shows how much extra credit can be earned through responses.
     Notice that a student who passes all of the responses can reach a score of 30 without meeting the S requirement. Also, the student who gets all S grades can reach a maximum of 40 (an entire extra letter grade of extra credit!). This is because the bonuses are cumulative.