Q. Is TCU going to +/- grading and when?
Yes, TCU will implement +/- grading this fall for all graduate students and for any undergraduate students who begin their degree program after summer 2007. Undergraduate students who began their degree program before this fall will be grandfathered to the prior (A,B,C,D,F) grade system.
Q. How long will we have students who are grandfathered?
Four years.
Q. That sounds complicated. How will it work?
It does sound complicated, but for students and faculty it will actually be fairly simple. Faculty can set up a grading system that applies to all students in their class (+/- or not… use of +/- grades is a faculty option not a requirement). When faculty report grades using the web based grade rosters each student will have +/- grades as an assignment option. If the faculty member chooses to use +/-, then the faculty member can post +/- grades for all students. For students who have been grandfathered, the +/- portion will not be recorded as official grades, will not appear on the transcript and will not impact the GPA. For students who are eligible for +/- grades, the +/- portion of the grade will be recorded as official, will appear on the transcript and will impact the GPA.
Example for Undergraduate Students:
| |
Course Score |
Faculty Grade |
Transcript Grade |
GPA |
| Student w/ Admit |
89 |
B+ |
B |
3.0 |
Prior to 2007:
| |
Course Score |
Faculty Grade |
Transcript Grade |
GPA |
| New Student |
89 |
B+ |
B+ |
3.33 |
Q. Are faculty required to use +/- grading?
No. Use of +/- grades is a faculty prerogative. Whether using +/- or not, faculty are always encouraged to include a clear statement of grading practice in their syllabus. This is probably even more important as TCU begins this initiative.
Q. Can a student decide whether they will be on +/- grading?
No. This is not a student option.
Q. What are the cut-offs to determine where the +’s and –‘s begin and end?
TCU is not supplying any suggested ranges for grading. This is a faculty prerogative. Some departments and/or colleges may want to establish a norm, but that is totally up to them.
Q. What are the quality points for grades?
The texts below are taken from the catalogue:
Undergraduate Catalog Text
Grading. The faculty definition of grades, and the point system designed to indicate quality of work, is as follows:
| A |
4.00 - Excellent |
| A- |
3.67 |
| B+ |
3.33 |
| B |
3.00 - Good |
| B- |
2.67 |
| C+ |
2.33 |
| C |
2.00 - Satisfactory |
| C- |
1.67 |
| D+ |
1.33 |
| D |
1.00 - Poor |
| D- |
0.67 |
| F |
0.00 - Failing |
P – Passed the course.
NC – No credit awarded for the course.
In all cases where academic policy requires a grade of “C” or better, a “C-“ does not meet that criteria. The same applies for “B” and “B-“.
Graduate Catalog Text
Academic Rating System
The definition of grades and grade points is as follows:
| Grade |
Grade Points |
Grade Descriptions |
| A |
4.00 |
Excellent |
| A- |
3.67 |
Good |
| B+ |
3.33 |
| B |
3.00 |
| B- |
2.67 |
Marginal |
| C+ |
2.33 |
Unsatisfactory |
| C |
2.00 |
| C- |
1.67 |
| F |
0.00 |
Failing |
If you have any questions, problems or concerns, please contact the Registrar’s office at regwww@tcu.edu.
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