Grading system still in limbo
Josh jefferson
Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: News
Western Illinois University officials are still weighing options before implementing a new plus/minus grading scale that was approved by president Al Goldfarb last year.
The Faculty Senate adopted the plus/minus system in March, 2005. On April 30, 2008, President Al Goldfarb approved the new system, originally scheduled to be implemented in fall 2009.
The plus/minus grading change is tied to the university's conversion over to a new grading database system.
According to a Sept. 16, 2008 report by Registrar Al DeRoos, implementation would be delayed because of ongoing conversion to the DB2 database system. The DB2 database upgrade, while necessary in the long term, was expedited by the move towards the plus/minus system and will allow the system to handle the additional information.
The system's upgrade is still in progress, but the change is coming.
Student reaction to the change has been mixed.
"I feel that anything that allows us to have a more specific grading system is a good thing because an 80 percent is not an 89 percent," said junior music education major Nick Howard. "I'm not exactly for the plus/minus system, but I am for a different system that allows for a more specific accurate representation of how we did in the class."
Other students are not as receptive to the idea.
"I think it is going to be negative because people's grades are going to lower, their GPAs are going to be lower," said Faith Harris, sophomore pre-elementary education major. "I think it's going to make the retention rate worse than it already is."
University officials assure students that grades earned before the transition will not be affected. "Grades received prior to whenever (plus/minus grading system) gets implemented will stay just like they are now," Interim Registrar Angela Lynn said. "We aren't going to go back and alter anything. A "B" will still be worth three honor points."
This means the only classes that will be affected are those a student takes after the new plus/minus grading system is instituted. For example, if you are taking a class in the fall of 2010, or whenever the system is actually implemented, your grades would be reported with either a plus, regular or minus grade. Grades earned before that semester, however, will not be changed.
The Faculty Senate adopted the plus/minus system in March, 2005. On April 30, 2008, President Al Goldfarb approved the new system, originally scheduled to be implemented in fall 2009.
The plus/minus grading change is tied to the university's conversion over to a new grading database system.
According to a Sept. 16, 2008 report by Registrar Al DeRoos, implementation would be delayed because of ongoing conversion to the DB2 database system. The DB2 database upgrade, while necessary in the long term, was expedited by the move towards the plus/minus system and will allow the system to handle the additional information.
The system's upgrade is still in progress, but the change is coming.
Student reaction to the change has been mixed.
"I feel that anything that allows us to have a more specific grading system is a good thing because an 80 percent is not an 89 percent," said junior music education major Nick Howard. "I'm not exactly for the plus/minus system, but I am for a different system that allows for a more specific accurate representation of how we did in the class."
Other students are not as receptive to the idea.
"I think it is going to be negative because people's grades are going to lower, their GPAs are going to be lower," said Faith Harris, sophomore pre-elementary education major. "I think it's going to make the retention rate worse than it already is."
University officials assure students that grades earned before the transition will not be affected. "Grades received prior to whenever (plus/minus grading system) gets implemented will stay just like they are now," Interim Registrar Angela Lynn said. "We aren't going to go back and alter anything. A "B" will still be worth three honor points."
This means the only classes that will be affected are those a student takes after the new plus/minus grading system is instituted. For example, if you are taking a class in the fall of 2010, or whenever the system is actually implemented, your grades would be reported with either a plus, regular or minus grade. Grades earned before that semester, however, will not be changed.
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