System seeks to include ‘A+’
Plus/minus grading scale proposes change for Fall 2008
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences requests a change in its current grading system for Fall 2008. The new grading system would include a plus/minus scale.
By Erin Sommer (Contact)
Thursday, October 4th, 2007
Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may be graded differently next fall.
The college is seeking to change its grading system to a plus/minus scale, and requested to change University Senate rules and regulations to allow for the change. The plus/minus scale assigns a notation to students’ letter grades, determined by their percent.
Joesph Steinmetz, dean of the college, sent a memo to University Governance at the beginning of September requesting that University Senate change its rules and regulations to include an “A+” to appear on transcripts. The current policy only allows for “A,” “A-,” “B+,” “B,” “B-,” “C+,” “C,” “C-,” “D+,” “D,” “D-” and “F.”
Although several of the University’s schools currently use a plus/minus grading scale, an “A+” is not allowed to appear on a student’s transcript. The college currently does not attach a plus/minus notation to letter grades.
The measure to allow the change was approved through the College Academic Council before it was sent to University Governance.
The memo stated that an “A+” would not count towards grade point average and would only appear on transcripts. Both an “A+” and an “A” would factor into GPA as a 4.0.
Kim McNeley, assistant dean of student academic services in the College, said this was so the University could remain on a 4.0 grade scale, but students were recognized on transcripts as having received an “A+.”
Without approval from University Governance, the college can still implement a plus/minus grading system without including “A+” as a possible grade. In that case, a 93 percent or above in a class taken in the college would count as an “A.”
“If the ‘A+’ does not get approved, I fully expect that we’ll go back to CAC and approve the legislation,” McNeley said.
McNeley said she expected the new grading system to start next fall.
Bill Crowe, special assistant to dean of library and chair of the University Senate Executive Committee, said that the change was University Senate Academic Policy and Procedures Committee, which is required to make a recommendation to the University Senate Executive Committee by January 25, 2008. The University Senate Executive Committee will then make a recommendation to Senate, which is required to have spoken about the issue in at least two separate meetings before making a decision. The Chancellor then decides whether to approve the measure.
“It’s a very complicated process to ensure that the voice of constituencies are heard,” Crowe said. “Unless it’s urgent, we want to ensure that everyone knows what’s going on before changing University policy.”
Crowe said that the University was unique in that it has a shared governance, where both students and faculty members sit on committees together.
“I’ve seen it be a positive factor,” Crowe said. “In other places, it’s hard to get these issues going.”
“Speaking as a journalism student and former member of CLAS, I think plus/minus is great. It allows you to be accountable with how a student did in a class,” Jack Connor, Overland Park senior in journalism and holdover senator, said. “Anytime you have more accountability in measuring achievement it lends more credibility to the University.”
McNeley said that administrators at the college began discussing a change in the grading system about six months ago. She said that Steinmetz, who became dean last year, met with each department in the college last year and heard repeated suggestions to reevaluate the current grading system.
“The concern that was brought forward was the example of a student who earned 81 percent in a course and a student who earned 89 percent,” McNeley said. “Our faculty felt that it was important to distinguish between those grades.”
Crowe said that he expected the Academic Policy and Procedures Committee to meet several times this semester before making a recommendation to the University Senate Executive Committee.
For more information about University Governance, including the current University Senate rules and regulations and pending issues before University Senate, visit http://www2.ku.edu/~unigov/.
— Edited by Meghan Murphy
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