R score

In order to get more precise measurements of student's performances within a group in CEGEP, the R score was adopted in 1995 to replace the exclusive use of the Z-score. Failed courses have been given a reduced weight since October 2004. Physical education courses have been given an R score since fall 2007. Up until 2017, the R score didn't include the IDGZ but used the ISG. The number 75 indicates the provincial average and the number 14 indicates its standard deviation in pourcentage. \text{ISG} = \frac{[\text{avg. grade results of Secondary 4 and 5 of all students in group}] - 75}{14} An additional score of 0.5 was also added to the overall R score of a student graduating with an International Baccalaureate degree or a . The adjustment of the Z score using the IDGZ has made that unnecessary. ==Criticism==

First-hand experience suggests that the R score is not as good of an indicator as it was meant to be. A recurring complaint from students is that the ISG does not seem to be enough to offset the advantage enjoyed by students in weak groups. Such students have the opportunity to obtain grades much higher than the low average of their class, thus earning an elevated Z score, but students in strong groups cannot earn such high Z scores. One possible reason for this is that the ISG for a certain course is based on the average of the grades in all high school courses, which may not correlate to the group's strength in that course as much as the average of the grades of similar courses in high school. The perceived weaknesses of the R score are particularly worrying, because it is the main and sometimes the only criterion considered by Quebec universities during the admissions process. Since the R score is perceived as an absolute measure of a student's academic performance regardless of their academic rank, differences smaller than 0.5 are often used to discriminate between candidates applying to programs with fixed quotas such as medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and law. Overall, criticism has been received due to its complexity to students. == References ==