Senate Document 98-05
Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee
Passed  February 3, 1999

TO:                  Faculty Senate

FROM:            Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee

SUBJECT:            Purdue University Senate Document 96-8

The Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee recommends approval of University Senate Document 96-8.

Approved:                               Absent:

J. Conedera                              H. R. Adesiyan

D. Kozel                                  J. B. Higley

L. Mura

S. Sil   

University Senate Document 96-8
24 March 1997
Approved as Amended 28 April 1997
TO:                        The University Senate

FROM:                        University Senate Educational Policy Committee

SUBJECT:                        Semester Grades and Scholastic Indices

REFERENCE: University Regulations:  Part 2.  Sections VII.B.1 (p.22), VII.J.6 and VII.J.7 (p. 25); University Senate Document 76-6, as amended and approved, February 21, 1977; University Senate Document 90-18, March 25, 1991

DISPOSITION: For approval by a vote of the University Senate; for incorporation into the Academic Procedure Manual, if passed; to be forwarded to the registrar for implementation

A grading system with finer divisions the current system is recommended to the University Senate by the Educational Policy Committee based on the following:  a request by a member of the EPC that the Committee reexamine the arguments for and against systems of this type; an informal poll of colleagues in which more than 2/3 of respondees favored some form of such a system; a careful consideration of the various viewpoints collected by the Committee and summarized in University Senate Report 96-6.  Effective date:  as soon as technologically feasible, but not before the 1999-2000 academic year.

Section VII -- Grades and Reports

Part B.1. -- Semester Grades 29

PRESENT

 

PROPOSED

 

 

 

The following grades shall be assigned by the instructors and reported when they are called for by the registrar:

 

The following grades shall be available to be assigned by the instructors and reported when they are called for by the registrar:

 

 

 

1.   For Credit Courses

 

1.   For Credit Courses

      A —   Highest passing grade.

 

      A+, A — Highest passing grades.

 

 

      A-

 

 

      B+

      B

 

      B

 

 

      B-

 

 

      C+

      C

 

      C

 

 

      C-

 

 

      D+

 

 

      D

      D —   Lowest passing grade; passing minimal objectives of the course.

 

      D-   —   Lowest passing grade; marginally passing minimal objectives of the course.

 

 

 

      E —   Conditional failure; failure to achieve minimum objectives, but only to such limited extent that credit can be obtained by examination or otherwise without repeating the entire course.  This grade represents failure in the course unless and until the record is duly changed within one semester.  It cannot be improved to a grade higher than D. (See Section VII-E.)  When an instructor reports a grade of E, he/she shall file in the departmental office a statement of what is required of the student to receive the passing grade.

 

Same

 

 

 

      F —   Failure; failure to achieve minimal objectives of the course.  The student must repeat the course satisfactorily in order to establish credit in it.

 

Same

 

Part J.6.  Scholastic Indices

6.   For the purpose of averaging, each grade shall be weighted in the following manner: 38

 

6.  Same

 

 

 

GRADE                         WEIGHT

 

GRADE                       WEIGHT

A                                  4 x sem hrs = index pts

 

A+,A                           4.0 x sem hrs = index pts

 

 

A-                               3.7 x sem hrs = index pts

 

 

B+                              3.3 x sem hrs = index pts

B                                  3 x sem hrs = index pts

 

B                                3.0 x sem hrs = index pts

 

 

B-                               2.7 x sem hrs = index pts

 

 

C+                              2.3 x sem hrs = index pts

C                                  2 x sem hrs = index pts

 

C                                2.0 x sem hrs = index pts

 

 

C-                               1.7 x sem hrs = index pts

 

 

D+                              1.3 x sem hrs = index pts

D                                  1 x sem hrs = index pts

 

D                                1.0 x sem hrs = index pts

 

 

D-                               0.7 x sem hrs = index pts

E,F,WF,EF                   0 x sem hrs = index pts

 

E,F,WF,EF,IF              0.0 x sem hrs = index pts

P,N,I,PI,SI,W,                Not included

WN,WU,IN,IU

 

P,N,I,PI,SI,W,             Not included

WN,WU,IN,IU

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  The semester index is the sum of all index points for one semester for grades A, B, C, D, E, F, and WF divided by the sum of all corresponding semester hours, as represented by the following formula:

 

7.   The semester index is the sum of all index points for one semester for the grades A+/A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, E, EF, IF, WF and F, divided by the sum of all corresponding semester hours.  This index is represented by the following formula:

       4NA+3NB+2NC+1ND+0NE+ONF+0NWF+0NIF

S = ______________________________________

NA+NB+NC+ND+NE+NF+NWF

 

       4NA++4NA+3.7NA-+3.3NB++3NB ... +ONF

S = ___________________________________

NA++NA+NA-+NB++NB ... +NF

 

 

 

In the formula, NA is the number of credit hours of A, NB is the number of credit hours of B, etc.

 

In the formula, NA+, NA, NA-, NB+, etc. are, respectively, the number of credit hours of A+, A, A-, B+, etc.

Approving:                             Opposed:                        Absent:

M. Asteriadis                        G. Mork                               M. Peelle                        P. Farris

J. Gaunt                              W. Ray                                                                       F. Hayes

T. Hawkins                         M. Roney                                                                     K. Newton

S. Hem                               A. Rud                                                                        F. Williams

R. Ringel                            B. Shore

L. Lipschutz                        G. Wagenheim

S. Mills