Faculty representatives adopted one and rejected two of three committee recommendations concerning potential changes in the university grading policies.
At its November meeting, the Holland Faculty Senate voted 26-0 to accept the Academic Affairs Committee recommendation that the catalog descriptor for the letter grade "C" be changed from "average" to "satisfactory." Two members abstained.
However, the vote went almost identically the other way on recommendations to replace the current "letter only" (A, B, C, etc.) grading scale to a "letters and +'s only" scale (A, B+, B, C, C+, D, D+, etc.). The simultaneous vote on these recommendations was 21 against, eight for and one abstention.
Prior to the vote, Sen. Dave McMillen of the Psychology Department made a motion to separate the catalog descriptor recommendation from the other two. The motion passed on a voice vote.
The question of possible changes resulted from a February request by Provost Derek Hodgson that the Senate "determine the views of the faculty" on the matter. The matter actually began with a student's letter to President Donald Zacharias requesting a change and proposing both "+" and "-" additions to the grading scale. Among other things, the student, a marketing/professional golf management major, argued that the additions would "give an incentive to those who are 'in between grades.'"
In researching the matter, the committee learned that "+" grades are presently used by 7 percent of universities and colleges.
The committee also enlisted the assistance of The Reflector to solicit student opinions. Separate surveys conducted by the student newspaper and the Student Association found Mississippi State students "overwhelmingly against" any changes in the existing "letter only" policy.
While the committee members rejected the idea of adding of adding "-'s," it did agree with the students that the "grading scale should also provide incentives that generate maximum student effort and learning."
A complete summary of business conducted at the November meeting can be read on the Faculty Senate Home page at http://www.msstate.edu/Org/FS/faculty_senate.html.
This World Wide Web version of MSU Memo was modified and updated by Chris Brown.
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Last modified: Friday, 14-Jun-2002 15:58:59 CDT.
URL: http://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/msu_memo/1995/11-20-95/grading.htm
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