Normalizing Grades Across TA Sections

'Tis the season to file your grades, and in that holiday spirit, I present to you my tried-n-true method for normalizing scores for different TA's in a large class. The problem is this: When you teach a 300 person class, you typically run it with a single lecturer and multiple TA's handling sections. The students do labs and problem sets, which are graded by the TA's. However, not all TA's are equally benevolent when it comes to grading, which can lead some sections to have lower scores than they should. On the other hand, not all sections are equally on the ball, so maybe their low scores are exactly what they deserve. So, how do you tell the difference between a TA who graded more harshly than average, and a TA that was stuck with somewhat dimwitted students? The key is to use the exams, which are taken by all ...