Though grading scales that combine A-‘s and B+’s into AB’s appear to be a relatively good in theory, the actual application of this system here at University of Wisconsin usually results in unbalanced grade point average distributions for scores that differ by only a few percent.
Last semester, during our lovely Math 222 lecture, my roommate and I found out the hard way that three percent can make a huge difference. Now, considering this class is typically the focal point of horror stories that upperclassmen tell freshmen during welcome week, we ended up doing pretty well once the final grades were posted. Between the two of us, I ended up on top, but only beat my roommate by three percent of the total possible points. What’s a few percentage points between friends though; no big deal, right? As it turns out, I ended the semester with an A while my roommate received a B because of this measly three percent deficit. Needless to say, my roommate was not too happy when we saw our final grades.
Those three percentage points cost my roommate an entire point on the GPA scale. That’s quite a distinction for only a few percent difference. The fact of the matter is, a grading system with AB’s does not allow for the same number of letter grade possibilities as more traditional scales with A-‘s and B+’s. While fewer possibilities may seem like a good idea because scores that would usually be found in the plus range would get boosted up into these combination grades, the negatives of this system outweigh the positives.
For one, most professors here at UW seem to enjoy using combination grades, because they separate whole GPA point differences and allow professors to reward students for effort even if they did not make it all the way to the A or the A-. In the current system, when students shoot for the moon, we only have about a three percent window available to land among the stars, or fall flat on our faces. Meanwhile, if UW adopted the more traditional plus and minus grading scale, which inclues more letter grade possibilities, the percent range between full letter grades would most likely have to increase compared to the system we have now. This would make it easier for professors to award incrementally for effort and not just resort to the current do-or-die system.
Furthermore, UW’s current grading scale allows for a lesser amount of possible GPA points to be earned. The fact that we only have one intermediate grade between whole GPA points means that there’s only one small window to save your grade from the difference of an entire point. If the more traditional system was adopted, there would be two separate metaphorical safety nets as compared to just one. So instead of only having a chance to earn half a GPA point instead of none, a student could earn two thirds, or one third of a GPA point instead of zero. This is the difference of a 3.70 and a 3.5 between an A- and an AB.
Another way to go about it would be to base the GPA entirely off of the final percent earned in the class. Calculating the GPA would be as simple as multiplying the final percent times 4.0. If someone had gotten a 95 percent for a final grade, then his or her GPA would be 3.8 for the class. In this system, every percentage point would count equally, thus removing any discrepancies between different grading scales.
It’s easy to see that the current grading system here at UW glitters, but is far from gold. The sole fact that a difference of only a few percentage points could possibly result in the loss of an entire point on a GPA is a clear sign that something is broken in the system and steps should be taken to fix it.
Phillip Michaelson (pmichaelson
