Faculty eyes grading changes

The Faculty Senate is considering a measure to change Boise State’s grading policy from the current flat grading policy to a system allowing plus and minus grades. The policy, if approved, would take affect next fall semester. The proposed system would go beyond the current system, which only allows for four possible grades, and provide faculty with a range of 13 possible grades. Many faculty members support the measure because it allows for greater precision in evaluating student work. However, the new policy could cause problems for students.

With the new policy, it will be possible to receive a letter grade of C minus, which may not be considered a passing grade in prerequisite courses. Many prerequisite courses require that students achieve a C, and a C minus grade would be unacceptable. The Academic Standards Committee, which is responsible for researching and proposing the new grading system, has recommended that a grade of C minus not be considered as meeting the requirements for a prerequisite class. However, Jack Hourcade, a member of the committee and a professor in the Elementary Education Department, said there is room for flexibility. Hourcade said that when surveyed, the faculty was evenly split on whether a C minus should be considered the minimum standard for a prerequisite class. Out of 320 faculty members questioned, exactly half said that a C minus should be considered a passing grade.

There is also some debate on whether plus or minus grades should be used for any grades less then a C. Some faculty members support stopping the plus/minus system at C plus and removing C minus as an option. Letter grades of D or F would not receive plus or minus options. Another problem of the proposed system would be increased difficulty in maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Under the current system, an A is an A. However, with the new system, there will be three variations of an A.

A student could receive an A minus, an A, or an A plus. However, the A minus would receive the numerical grade of 3.7 rather then a 4.0. It would then be possible to receive all A’s in classes, but have a GPA less then 4.0. Hourcade argues that the new system could help raise GPAs. “Our Registrar’s office reported to the Academic Standards Committee that they thought it actually might improve GPAs,” Hourcade said. “Because faculty would be more likely to bump up students the smaller step that would be possible as opposed to the huge letter jump that few are willing to do.”

Hourcade said the proposed system also benefits the university because it allows graduate departments to better predict the likelihood of success for graduate school candidates.  “It allows us to predict a little bit better graduate success,” he said. “Schools that have done the plus/minus system find that it predicts more accurately student success in graduate school.”

Boise State faculty is largely in support of the proposed grading system. In a survey of over 300 faculty members, Hourcade said that faculty supported the proposal at a rate of 2.5 to 1. The system would not be mandatory. Professors would be allowed to use the old system, but would need to inform students which grading system would be used at the beginning of the semester. Hourcade said the new grading system, if enacted, would not be universal due to subjectivity in some academic areas. In fields such as literature, Hourcade said some professors are not comfortable with the level of grading precision required. ASBSU Faculty Relations Coordinator Nate Chambers said students need to provide more input before any decision is made. Chambers said he has pushed the Faculty Senate to put off voting on the proposal until student reaction can be gauged.

“It’s important to see how the majority of students feel about it before any action is taken. I’m trying to keep them from voting and approving it,” Chambers said. Hourcade said the Academic Standards Committee would not propose a grading policy harmful to students. He referred to the committee as “a friend to students,” and pointed out that the committee took up the issue of grade averaging despite the objections of some faculty members. “That became our most important issue, and there were some faculty who wanted to keep the old system which was a lot harsher,” Hourcade said. “And Academic Standards held really firm on that because it just wasn’t right for students.” The proposal for plus/minus grading was tabled for discussion during the last Faculty Senate meeting, and will be taken up again in January.

Want to weigh in on the proposed plus/minus grading system?

ASBSU is conducting a poll to gauge student support. To participate, just go to the BroncoWeb homepage and click the link for ASBSU online voting.

By Andy Benson

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