Plus/minus grading system spurs debate

The system could be decreasing grade inflation.

By James Hatler

Published June 2, 2009

Members of the Academic Affairs committee of the Missouri Students Association met May 5 with Faculty Council chairman Thomas Phillips and University Registrar Brenda Selman. They discussed the weaknesses of the plus/minus grading system and whether changes should be considered.

This discussion was the precursor for a town hall meeting between faculty and students regarding the grading system. The meeting took place Nov. 18.

MSA is not taking a specific stance on plus/minus grading but is interested in gauging opinion.

"What we are trying to do is get both faculty opinions and student opinions on the grading system to find out if there is a need for reevaluation," MSA Academic Affairs chairwoman Erica Zucco said. Zucco is a former Maneater staff member.

The grading scale counts both grades of A+ and A as a 4.0, even though attaining the A+ grade requires more effort by the student.

Under the system, a student's GPA is penalized for having an A-, which counts as a 3.7.

"For the average student who is going for a great GPA, it's usually because they're going to get into a good professional school and I don't think that this proposal would help them any," Phillips said. "If hundreds of students suddenly have 3.9 or 4.0 GPAs because of this proposed change, the value of a high GPA will be lost."

But some students think having the A- is a detrimental flaw with the system.

"I think that it sends the wrong message to students. If you're going to do that extra effort to deserve that A+, then it should be worth more," senior Cory Gettemeier said.

Grade distribution is available online through the MU registrar's office, but the distribution is only by letter grade ranges, so it's impossible to tell whether a teacher awards an A+.

Grade inflation was also discussed at the meeting.

"There is an argument that the plus/minus grading system helps decrease grade inflation," Zucco said.

Phillips said the grade inflation seen at MU was a direct result of admitting better students, not the plus/minus system.

"You can make the counter-argument that if you look at the entering ACT scores, it goes up in the same way," she said. "So, we have better students, shouldn't that make the grades go up?"

If the MSA decides there is a need for further discussion, the town hall meeting will be held in the fall.