 |
Grading Guide:
| House Grade Parameters | ||
| A+ | = | Extra Credit is required to receive an A+ |
| A |
= | 100% |
| A- | = |
? 92% < 100% |
| B+ | = |
? 83% < 92% |
| B | = | ? 75% < 83% |
| B- | = | ? 67% < 75% |
| C+ | = | ? 56% < 67% |
| C | = | ? 50% < 56% |
| C- | = | ? 42% < 50% |
| D+ | = | ? 34% < 42% |
| D | = | ? 25% < 34% |
| D- | = | ? 17% < 25% |
| F | = | < 17% |
| Senate Grade Parameters | ||
| A+ | = | Extra Credit is required to receive an A+ |
| A | = | 100% |
| A- | = | ? 91% < 100% |
| B+ | = | ? 82% < 91% |
| B | = | ? 73% < 82% |
| B- | = | ? 64% < 73% |
| C+ | = | ? 55% < 64% |
| C | = | ? 46% < 55% |
| C- | = | ? 37% < 46% |
| D+ | = | ? 28% < 37% |
| D | = | ? 19% < 28% |
| D- | = | ? 10% < 19% |
| F | = |
< 10% |
Extra Credit:
Citizens for Global Solutions recognizes that legislators make important contributions to global issues that are often not reflected in roll call votes. Rather than ignoring this leadership, we strive to incorporate it into our final grades by awarding Extra Credit to legislators who promote our core issues outside the arena of recorded votes. Examples include sponsorship of legislation, op-eds, floor speeches and other public statements. For more information on which lawmakers were awarded extra credit and why, visit www.globalsolutions.org/reportcard.
Methodology:
Each of the 22 votes was weighted in order to reflect its importance to
our organization’s core values (with “3” as the highest weight). To
calculate a legislator’s grade, we first determined his/her percentage
rating by adding the weighted value of the legislator’s total favorable
votes, and dividing by the sum of all the weighted values on which the
Member of Congress voted. We then set letter grade parameters by taking
the range of percentage scores and dividing by the number of letter
grades to determine the range of each letter grade parameter. Grading
parameters differ for each chamber because the ranges of percentage
scores were different. Finally, if a legislator was eligible to receive
extra credit, s/he received up to one full letter grade higher than his
or her converted percentage grade to get his/her final grade. The
amount of extra credit given to a legislator was determined by the
extent to which the eligible legislator promoted our core issues. In
this year’s Report Card, legislators could only achieve a grade of A+
if s/he received extra credit.
Freshman Members:
Freshman Members of Congress received an (I) for “Insufficient Information” unless they submitted a response to our 2006 Candidate Questionnaire during their campaign for office, or they were a freshman Senator in 2007 who served in the House of Representatives during the 109th Congress. A freshman legislator’s grade was determined either by their answers to our 2006 Candidate Questionnaire or - in the case of freshman Senators with prior House service - his/her previous voting record. Extra credit was not available to freshman Members of Congress.
