At 01:54 PM 2/4/2003, EAKIN MARK E wrote:
I told my class on the syllabus that 70 to 79 was a C. Today I reminded
them of that and asked "is a 79 a B"? (They wrote their answers
anonymously on sheets of paper and turned in the pages). When I was
through counting the responses, almost the entire class of seventy students
thought a 79 was a B.
do you mean ... does MY school have a grading scale that is universal and ... puts a 79 into the B category?

as an example, penn state has NO % grading scale ... every professor makes up whatever he/she thinks is right ... some never even think about %ages ...

we do have a scale listed as letters ... dig this:


GRADING SYSTEM--The grades of A, B, C, D, and F indicate the following qualities of academic performance:



A (EXCELLENT) Indicates exceptional achievement.

B (GOOD) Indicates extensive achievement.

C (SATISFACTORY) Indicates acceptable achievement.

D (POOR) Indicates only minimal achievement. It indicates that the student may be seriously handicapped

in carrying a more advanced course for which this course is a specific prerequisite.

F (FAILURE) Indicates inadequate achievement necessitating a repetition of the course to secure credit.


of course, we also have + and - in some categories ... like, A-, B+ ... B- C+ ... but NO A+ or C- ...

a B- would be conceptually ... less than extensive achievement but MORE THAN acceptable achievement ... tell me please WHAT the dickens that means?

the bottom line is that faculty make their own decisions about grades ...

in small schools there may be more department/institutional control but, in larger places ... essentially anything goes ... and does


Is this common in your university?


Mark Eakin
Associate Professor
Information Systems and Management Sciences Department
University of Texas at Arlington
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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_________________________________________________________
dennis roberts, educational psychology, penn state university
208 cedar, AC 8148632401, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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