Research shows plus/minus grading causes little change in students" G.P.A.s
Published Jan. 23, 1996
After its first semester, the grade on plus-minus grading system is starting to come in.
Associate Professor of Health Mike Prewitt, past chair of the plus-minus steering committee, said he thinks it's too early to judge the plus-minus system.
"We really can't make too much of it yet. It has only been one semester," Prewitt said. "It's going to take some time to see about the full impact."
Despite affecting many individual students' grades, plus-minus grading had only a minor affect on overall averages, according to Registrar Gary Smith's report on grade distribution from fall semester.
The report showed that the mean grade point average for the fall semester was 2.852, a slight drop from the 2.868 mean grade point average from the fall semester '94.
Smith agreed that there is a difference between the overall picture and each student's grades.
"You probably have to look at individual grades," Smith said. "When you look at it overall, and just average them, it had no effect."
The fall semester ended with 18.2 percent of all grades issued being pluses or minuses. Of those, 48.1 percent were pluses and 51.9 percent were minuses.
Prewitt said the advantage of the system is that "it allows faculty to be more precise with their grading."
He said the downside to plus-minus is some students think it's not fair because not all faculty use it. However, he pointed out that different sections of a class were graded differently before plus-minus as well.
Plus-minus grading is the focus of an annual event scheduled for this Saturday at Memorial Union. This year's event is entitled "Grades and Grading: An MU Student/Faculty Dialogue."
Several programs are scheduled, including a student panel.
Victor Estevez, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, used the plus-minus system. He said he sees both sides of the plus-minus debate.
Estevez said before the system became an option, he never considered minuses, and he would have been happy with just a plus system. He'll be using pluses, but not minuses, in one of his courses this semester.
However, he sees some problems as well.
"What does concern me is the way it was handled by the administration," he said. With all the discussion beforehand, to adopt the plus-minus system and then to make it optional "made absolutely no sense to me."
"There's a built-in unfairness," he said. "You have a system where the student is the accidental victim," since different departments have different policies regarding how plus-minus is used, and some students will have the opportunity for a grade point average higher than a 4.0..
Estevez said he thinks MU should keep the system, but in fairness to the students, it should not be optional.
Estevez said he thinks most students don't like plus-minus. However, atmospheric science instructor Chris Ratley said he hasn't heard many reactions about it.
"Very few have commented negatively on it," he said.
Students' opinions toward plus-minus grading were generally negative.
Sophomore Jennifer McGinnis said that plus-minus didn't affect her, because none of her teachers used it. However, she still believes it's not very fair because an 81 percent for her was a B, while it would be a B minus for people in a class where the system is implemented.
"If they're going to do it, everybody [should have] to do it," she said. "If they would all use it, it would be better, but I think it's so wrong for somebody who has done just as good work as I have to have a lot lower GPA than me."
Junior Chuck Koenig said plus-minus hurt his grades. He said nine out of his 15 hours were graded on the plus-minus system.
"I don't see how someone who gets an 85 percent in a class is that much better off than someone who gets an 82," he said. For some classes, he said, getting a few questions right or wrong on a test can result in that difference.
