WSSU may be transitioning to new grading scale

Winston-Salem State faculty could be joining their counterparts at other colleges and universities throughout the state who are using a "plus-minus" system for student grades.

If approved by the Board of Trustees during the meeting in March, the new grading system will be implemented at WSSU in the fall.

Craig Richardson, associate profes- sor of economics and coordinator of the MBA program, said the new grading system will put the University "in line" with other UNC schools.

"Eleven of 16 schools in the UNC sys- tem employ the plus-minus system," Richardson said.

"That made it worth studying."

Richardson said he became involved with the grading system proposal after being asked to chair the ad-hoc com- mittee by Himanshu Gopalan, faculty senate chair. Gopalan is an associate professor in the therapeutic recreation program.

Rather than the standard A to F grad- ing format, WSSU students are accus- tomed to, the new policy will offer grades of A, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- and F.

Students will not be able to receive a grade of 'A+ because it would translate to a GPA of 4.33, higher than the maxi- mum GPA of 4.0.

Richardson said there are many ben- efits to the proposed grading system.

"It [grading system] better rewards

work effort and gives students incen- tives to be the best they can be," Richardson said. He has prior expe- rience transitioning to a 'plus-minus' grading system and credits that as his current motivation.

"I previously worked at Salem College which also had a simple A, B, C, D, F system but we transitioned to a plus-minus system in the mid-1990s," he said.

"There has been a movement across the country toward a plus-minus sys- tem."

Richardson, along with a committee of several other faculty members and a student representative, researched the new grading system last semes- ter before proposing it to the Faculty Senate.

"Our committee followed what other UNC schools were doing, and followed the path of UNC-Asheville and East Carolina University which also set up a committee to study the process and implications of adopting a new grading system," he said.

He said the committee used feedback from the registrar's office to help deter- mine potential impact on WSSU.

"The committee produced a report which was presented to Faculty Senate in November, and then it came before the faculty for a vote in January.

"About two thirds [of the faculty] voted in favor of it."

- &+ Grades