If comprehension and spelling were decoupled but still equally weighted then the aggregate score would've been significantly higher. Let's split the difference

If comprehension and spelling were decoupled but still equally weighted then the aggregate score would've been significantly higher. Let's split the difference and say that 20-30% on the set of [all answers simultaneously spelled correctly AND comprehended] becomes a 25% on the "spells things correctly" axis. If we weight that equally against the "comprehension" axis then you get let R = 25 # reading let C = ? # comprehension let M = 40 # reported mean (R + C) / 2 == M (25 + C) / 2 == 40 (25 + C) == 80 C == 55 # implied comprehension grade from a 40% average If comprehension was any higher than 55% - which this anecdote certainly suggests - then the 40% aggregate score awarded is an ineffective assessment of the holistic learning picture. This is the grade school equivalent of tossing out resumes over a single copy editing mistake.