T~e A~gie gymnasts tangled with the national champion Utes Monday night. While USU didn't do bad, the Utes did a lot better. ................... Page 13
They could have given more, but they could have given less, too. Who are they? The Utah Legislature. Details on what they did give ............. ....... ... Page 3
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it@it~~ film@, 1m Plus-minus system:'more refined grade' By TRACY ANDERSON 1taff writer
In an attempt to clarify the recent plusminus grading system, Assistant Vice President Bill Sampson held an open forum in which he emphasized that the intent of the new system was "to give students a more refined grade." "The primary concern of this plus-minus grading system is to provide a greater precision of grading," Sampson said. A few of the students present expressed their distaste for the system 10 which Sampson replied, '' I neither justify nor defend the plus-minus system. I didn't propose it. I was jus1 on the committee." Sampson said he was personally in favor of keeping the old system because it was easier and did not require additional funds to thange. The switch cost about $2,500 which "wasn't a large amount of money, when talking computer systems,'' he said. · 'The system allows greater accuracy in ca1egonz10g s1udl·111performance while allowing for subjective evaluation at the disrretion of 1hc instructor,'' he said. In this way. thl· plus-minus system combinl·~ th(· best aspects of the old system with a more · 'precis(·' · decimal system of grading. According to a rt.'port presented to the t-'acuhy Sena1e: "Since USU is an institution mack up of diverse areas of study, the plus-
minus system best serves the wide variety of needs.'' Some students at the forum, however, did not agree. "The whole system is flawed to begin with," said one student. "It shouldn't be looked at as perfect. We should adopt an additional way 10 grade." The subcommitte based its recommendation on polls conducted of faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students, according to the report. The most favored system was the plus-minus. "The intent of the Faculty Senate to change the grading system was to give a greater latitude to the faculty," Sampson said. "The faculty is the final arbiter to what thty give the students. ''They can grade however they want. It is the faculty's prerogative to give the grades they want," he said. " I cannot make the assumpiion that all teachers grade on a fair system." Eighty-five percent of fall quarter's grade sheets had plus-minuses, therefore the system is being used, he said. Since 1981 freshman GPAs have stayed the same. Sophomore and junior GPA took the steepest dive on the new system and senior GPAs also dropped. The graduate
student GPAs increased the most with the new grading system, said the report. In 1981the Academic Standards Committee of the Educational Policies Committee (EPC) received a request from the Faculty Forum and the Senate Executive a recommendation
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on page 16)
Grade Point Average Comparison Total University - Fall Quarters of years shown
Pictured above. Bill Sampson, assistant vice president, student services. At left, chart depicts lowering of the average GPA.
1976
1977
1976
1979
1960
1961
1962