pass fail grading system essay

Letter Grades Should Be Replaced With Pass or Fail Essay

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Advantages of Replacing Letter Grades with Pass or Fail

Disadvantages of replacing letter grades with pass or fail.

The debate over whether letter grades should be replaced with a pass or fail has been controversial. Some argue that letter grades accurately measure student achievement, while others argue that pass or fail is a fairer system. Those who favor letter grades usually do so because they believe it is more accurate to measure student achievement. They argue that letter grades provide a level of detail that pass or fail does not (Pan et al., 2021). Letter grades can show whether a student is barely passing or if they are excelling in a course. This level of detail can be helpful for students, as it allows them to see where they need to improve. Letter grades can motivate students to do their best, knowing their grades will reflect their (Arsyad Arrafii, 2019). When students are graded on a curve, it often pits them against each other rather than encouraging them to work together. This essay will discuss the pros and cons of replacing letter grades with a pass or fail system.

When letter grades are replaced with a pass or fail system, students no longer have to stress about their grades. With a pass or fail system, as long as a student passes the class, they will receive a passing grade, regardless of their performance; hence this can take away a lot of stress for students, as they no longer have to worry about getting a low grade (Pan et al., 2021). Pass or fail systems can motivate students to try their best, as they know that even if they did not get a perfect grade, they would still pass the class as long as they pass the required tests or assignments. The primary stress that comes with grades is the pressure to perform well. Pass or fail systems can also promote a more relaxed learning environment, as students will not be as focused on their grades, allowing them to absorb the material better and enjoy learning. Overall, replacing letter grades with a pass or fail can take away much of the stress that comes with grades.

When students are evaluated on a pass/fail basis, they are more likely to collaborate because they are not competing for grades leading to a more supportive and cooperative environment in the classroom as it takes the pressure off of the individual students to perform well to get a good grade. For example, suppose students are working on a group project. In that case, they may be more likely to help each other out and offer suggestions rather than trying to do everything themselves to get a good grade resulting in a better project overall. In addition, this can lead to a deeper understanding of the material and a more positive attitude towards learning (Fischer et al., 2020). A more collaborative environment encourages students to work together since they will need to help each other to pass the class, benefiting the students as they learn from each other and in study groups. In general, pass or fail grading can promote a more collaborative environment for students by removing the incentive to compete with each other, which can lead to better learning outcomes and a more positive experience in the classroom.

In addition, replacing the letter grades with a pass or fail can level the playing field between students of different skill levels. A few ways to replace letter grades with passing or failing can level the playing field for students from different backgrounds. One way is by providing a more accurate representation of the student’s knowledge. For example, a student who gets a C in a class might pass the class if they put in extra effort, but a student who gets a D might not be able to do the same. This system would be more accurate in showing which students understand the material and which ones do not (Fischer et al., 2020).

Pass or fail also helps to level the playing field by removing the focus on grades. Students from wealthier backgrounds can get better grades because they have more resources, such as private tutors or expensive prep courses. If grades are no longer the main focus, students from all backgrounds will have an equal chance to succeed. Pass or fail system can also help to level the playing field by giving students who might not do well in traditional academic settings a chance to succeed. For example, a student who is creative but does not do well on tests might be able to pass a class if their creativity is taken into account; that would allow for a more well-rounded education and would give all students an equal chance to succeed.

The elimination of letter grades in favor of a simple pass or fail might result in a general lowering of academic standards for several reasons. Students would no longer be driven to earn good grades if they were only given a pass or fail mark instead of a letter grade, which is one of the primary reasons why replacing letter grades with a pass or fails mark could lead to a drop in academic standards. Students would not be motivated to strive for excellence if their grades were determined based on a pass/fail scale (Lin et al., 2020). As a result, many students would probably slack off and not put up their best effort, which would unavoidably result in a reduction in the overall quality of the student’s academic performance. Another reason replacing letter grades with a pass or fail to grade could lead to a drop in academic standards is that a pass/fail would remove the incentive for students to put forth their best effort. This could lead to a decline in the overall quality of education.

Students are encouraged to perform to the best of their abilities under a letter grading system so that they might receive a good mark. On the other hand, students would not have access to this incentive if the system was pass/fail. Consequently, individuals would be less inclined to put out their best effort, which would cause a drop in the overall quality of their academic performance.

Another reason why replacing letter grades with a pass or fail could lead to a decline in academic standards is that pass/fail to grade would make it more difficult for students to distinguish themselves from their peers. In a letter grading system, students can earn high grades that set them apart from their peers. However, in a pass/fail system, all students would receive the same grade, regardless of their performance, making it more difficult for them to stand out from their peers, ultimately leading to a decline in academic standards (Lin et al., 2020). To sum up, replacing letter grades with a pass or fail could lead to a decline in academic standards. Pass/fail to grade would make it more difficult for colleges and universities to identify the most qualified applicants. Colleges and universities can use grades to identify the most qualified applicants in a letter grading system. However, in a pass/fail system, all applicants would receive the same grade, regardless of their qualifications. This would make it more difficult for colleges and universities to identify the most qualified applicants, ultimately leading to a decline in academic standards.

There are pros and cons to both sides of the argument, but letter grades should be replaced with a pass or fail. I think that letter grades often create an environment of competition rather than cooperation. When students are graded on a curve, it often pits them against each other rather than encouraging them to work together. Pass/fail systems can also promote a more relaxed learning environment, as students will not be as focused on their grades. This can allow them to absorb the material better and enjoy learning. However, deciding which system to use ultimately depends on what is best for the students. If the goal is to promote a more relaxed learning environment and level the playing field for all students, pass/fail may be the better option. However, letter grades may be the better option if the goal is to maintain high academic standards.

Arsyad Arrafii, M. (2019). Grades and grade inflation: exploring teachers’ grading practices in Indonesian EFL secondary school classrooms. Pedagogy, Culture &Amp; Society , 28 (3), 477-499.

Fischer, C., Xu, D., Rodriguez, F., Denaro, K., & Warschauer, M. (2020). Effects of course modality in summer session: Enrollment patterns and student performance in face-to-face and online classes. The Internet and Higher Education , 45 , 100710.

Lin, G., Nwora, C., & Warton, L. (2020). Pass/Fail Score Reporting for USMLE Step 1: An Opportunity to Redefine the Transition to Residency Together . Academic Medicine , 95 (9), 1308-1311.

Pan, S., Rickard, T., & Bjork, R. (2021). Does Spelling Still Matter—and If So, How Should It Be Taught? Perspectives from Contemporary and Historical Research. Educational Psychology Review , 33 (4), 1523-1552.

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19 Principal Pros And Cons of the Pass Fail Grading System

A pass-fail grading system changes the way that students can achieve credit for a class. Instead of receiving a letter-based grade, they will either receive a passing grade or a failing grade, allowing them to push forward toward a degree without worrying about the precision of their GPA. As long as the student completes work above what defines a failing grade in the class earns credit for it.

This lack of precision provides numerous benefits for students because there is no longer the pressure to achieve a specific outcome. It can also be disadvantageous to some because their work far exceeds the threshold of failure, but they will gain no credit for it. Their credit for taking the class is the same as someone who barely exceeds the threshold.

Most of the classes which are available in this system occur after earning a GED or high school diploma, but there are some K-12 institutions which are looking at the pros and cons of the pass-fail grading system today. It might provide fairness in grading and encourage more studies, but this system might hold some students back from their full potential as well.

List of the Pros of the Pass Fail Grading System

1. This grading system places less stress on the student. Students who take classes in the traditional grading system often have tremendous levels of stress they endure to do well on assignments and tests. Specific elements of the curriculum carry a lot of weight, with a final exam sometimes representing 30% or more of the final grade. If you do well throughout the entire class and then fail at the wrong moment, the letter-based result the teacher or professor provides may not be representative of a student’s knowledge or ability.

The pass-fail grading system eliminates this issue almost entirely. Students no longer need to worry about their grade-point average with this system. There is less pressure and perceived stress because one moment of failure won’t define their grade.

2. It improves the mood of the students in the classroom. When there is less stress in the classroom because of the pass-fail grading system, then there is an improved mood in the student body. Instead of focusing on an upcoming exam or paper, everyone can spend more time with the materials taught in the class. Even though many of the final requirements stay the same since you must meet a minimum threshold with this system, it takes away the pressure to receive a specific score in relation to everyone else in the class.

3. There is more cohesion in the classroom. When there is a pass-fail grading system in place, then students don’t see each other as competition any more. When teachers or professors grade on a curve based on overall performance, then individual students are less likely to collaborate because helping others could impact their final grade negatively. If no one is willing to work together, then the lack of diversity can create educational gaps.

Students can work together freely with one another in the pass-fail grading system because everyone will either earn credit or not based on a specific threshold. Getting together in a study group so that everyone can pass is easier to do because there is no longer pressure to get an A grade on every assignment.

4. Students are more willing to take academic risks with a pass-fail system. When students tackle a new subject in the classroom, then they typically avoid anything that would be challenging because of the risk that it would cause in relation to their GPA. When there is a pass-fail grading system option for some classes, then individual students feel safer expanding their horizon because there is minimal risk to their final grade calculation. Some institutions won’t even calculate the results from a pass-fail class when figuring out the grade-point average at the end of the year.

This advantage makes it possible for students to gain confidence with new subject materials while becoming well-rounded in their areas of strength. It is a process which ultimately leads to having more knowledge, which can then be turned into wisdom.

5. It creates a system which offers fairness in grading. There are some subjects which have objective grading systems, such as mathematics and science, where there are definitive “right” and “wrong” answers. Then there are the educational materials which are more subjective, like creative writing, art, political science, and philosophy. Because there isn’t a standard method of judging a student in these areas that is universal, a pass-fail grading system creates added fairness to the educational system because grading is no longer based on favoritism or arbitrary methods.

6. This grading system removes the negative stigmas that come with poor grades. The reality of our five-grade performance-based system is that it isn’t necessarily as informative as some people think it is since it can contain subjective preferences. That means it isn’t very effective in many courses because it may not offer an authentic reflection of what a student’s full potential could be. If a teacher grades on a curve and the scores are all generally poor, a student who earns an A grade in that class might be lucky to get a C grade in another institution.

The problem with performance-based grading like this is that it discourages the people who need the most help by assigning a negative stigmatization to their efforts. Good grades already reward those who have cognitive advantages by lifting them up even further. The pass-fail grading system create equality because there is less of a focus on the final outcome.

7. It eliminates the punitive aspects out of the grading system. The performance-based grading systems that we use throughout the entire educational system are deeply entrenched in our identity. Even kids in elementary school receive letter-based grades which show that they are progressing, achieving, or need help in specific areas. By shifting to a strict pass-fail grading system, then you either achieve success or you do not. There is no middle ground where a student passes, but not with a GPA that is good enough to be competitive for the best-paying jobs that are available today.

The results of performance-based grades are mostly punitive unless you can achieve a score at or near the top of the GPA spectrum. It is a system which rewards one type of intelligence without giving any concern to how others think or learn. Using the pass-fail grading system gets rid of this issue altogether.

8. We can apply the pass-fail grading system at all levels. Most kids in the United States actually start school using the pass-fail grading system for their work. Teachers up until fourth grade (and higher in some districts) indicate that a student’s work is outstanding, adequate, progressing, or needs improvement. Instead of receiving a specific letter grade, this system communicates to children and their parents where their unique strengths and weaknesses are in the classroom. Students can then make adjustments to their learning habits to ensure they can meet their target goals.

Instead of focusing on a specific letter, the pass-fail grading system looks at an approach which favors self-advocacy, self-assessment, and self-regulation. It gives a student the opportunity to evaluate their personal growth and progress to know if their comprehension of materials is adequate for their future needs.

9. No one needs a grade to learn practical skills. If you earn an A grade in mathematics, will that be a benefit to a future career in journalism? Does earning a C grade in science hold someone back from becoming a plumber? When we look at the idea of education at the college or university level, when looking at practical or technical disciplines, then the pass-fail grading system is a better option to consider because it eliminates ratings and ranks.

Practical skills only require a student to show that they are proficient in a specific task. That means you can work at your own pace, passing the class when you show that you have a mastery of the expertise needed to pursue vocational opportunities in a chosen career. Instead of providing a façade of coherence, the pass-fail grading system can prove that a student has what it takes to be successful.

List of the Cons of the Pass Fail Grading System

1. Removing performance-based grades eliminates competitiveness. There are many forms of motivation that you can find in the modern classroom. Some students like to challenge themselves to achieve the best grade possible. Others find that learning something new propels them toward a better GPA. Some students like to compete with others to see where they stand in the classroom with relation to the materials being studied. Most careers look at classroom placement as an indicator of success during the application process after graduation as well.

The pass-fail grading system eliminates the benefits of competition from the classroom. Instead of trying to achieve the best grade possible, students are asked to meet a lower threshold of passing. Although that line doesn’t move for either grading system, trying to earn an A grade is very different than attempting not to fail from an academic standpoint.

2. It can cause students to start forming unhealthy learning habits. The pass-fail grading system can encourage procrastination because the work feels like it isn’t as difficult. Because students need to meet a lower minimum to earn credit for the class, there can be a lack of focus on the materials. If this attitude becomes a habit, then the homework can get put on the back burner when other classes might offer performance-based grading systems. Although the lack of pressure can be helpful for some, having stress and pressure can lead to structured and healthy learning habits that aren’t as necessary when passing the class is the primary need.

3. The pass-fail grading system does not accurately reflect student understanding. When you receive notification of your grade in the pass-fail grading system, then you’ve either gained the credits for the class or you did not. Does the student know how well they did against the curve of everyone in the classroom? Is there clear and complete knowledge about the subject matter? Because there isn’t a performance-based grade offered to a student in most circumstances, there is no feedback offered to a student to let them know how their overall work stands up to everyone else.

Students can counter this disadvantage by speaking with their teacher or professor about what their letter-based grade might be, but some instructors might not keep track of that information if the pass-fail grading system is in place.

4. You won’t receive a boost to your GPA with a pass-fail class. Under most grading systems in the United States, classes which follow the pass-fail grading system do not contribute any marks toward a student’s final grade-point average. The instructors will use marks like “P” or “F” to indicate that credits are awarded for progress toward a diploma, degree, or certificate. The transcript of the student, including the guidance plan, will see a benefit, but a great score won’t give your GPA a boost.

This may not always be a disadvantage, but it can be for students who typically perform at high levels in the classroom. Unless the materials are new, complex, or confusing, those with a GPA of 3.0 or higher will usually want to stay with performance-based grades to ensure they can maintain their placement for graduation.

5. Conversions to a letter-based grade are not possible. Once you decide to pursue a pass-fail grade in class, then a conversion back to a performance-based grade is not possible under most circumstances. That can become a problem if a student finds that they need to have a score to reach a specific GPA threshold since the pass-fail grading system won’t contribute any information to that average. If you are pursuing a scholarship or classroom placement designation for your degree, the difference between having a B or a Pass on your final transcript can be the difference in achieving a goal or not.

6. It reduces the incentives to work harder to achieve something better. Imagine that a student is currently sitting at a C grade in class. This person knows they can continue to maintain this grade level and it passes them, so they decide to take the credit over the grade by converting to the pass-fail grading system. There is no longer an incentive to study harder, put more effort into assignments, or participate more often in class. Although some students can earn an A grade without much difficulty, it can be a lot of work for others. By using this option which only offers credit, then there is nothing to incentivize the student to push themselves toward something bigger and better. Being okay is good enough in this system.

7. The pass-fail grading system does not eliminate grading bias entirely. Many students decide to take advantage of the pass-fail grading system when they feel like the grades offered by their teacher or professor are arbitrary, subjective, or based on personal interactions. If they suspect that a poor grade is coming, this option provides them with a layer of protection against the politics that can sometimes be in place with the modern educational system.

Although this disadvantage cannot apply to materials which have definitive “right” and “wrong” answers, any class which is 100% subjective can still suffer from instructor bias. That is why students must look at each option strategically, especially in colleges and universities, to see where personality conflict could adversely impact their final grade.

8. It doesn’t work with our current system of evaluation in schools. The strongest argument that exists for keeping performance-based grades around instead of using a generalized pass-fail grading system is that the system is entrenched in the global educational system. Systemic infrastructural changes would be necessary to transition how we think about learning, which means there would be cost implications and resistance to the new system to consider. Even though earning a specific grade can take some people to new heights, it is not driving communities or even entire generations of students to new heights.

9. We don’t really know how to learn without a grade. Many people are highly conditioned to think of themselves in the terms of a grade. We even do this outside of the classroom at times, sometimes without realizing that this is what we are doing. Grades can cause stress and anxiety, but so can not getting them. When a student completes an assignment, then there is an expectation to receive a grade as a “reward” for the work. Without receiving that feedback, it is challenging to know whether your efforts are on the correct path for success.

Even though there are benefits to the pass-fail grading system, students and teachers are used to performance-based grading. It is a comfortable arrangement where there is a system of feedback and criticism offered that allows each person to improve their performance in the classroom.

10. Teachers would lose some of their authority in the classroom. The traditional grading system creates a control mechanism for teachers in the classroom. It is used as a motivational factor for students who might not otherwise engage with the environment. Without the presence of a specific letter for feedback, there may be less effort placed on studying for exams. Instructors would lose a portion of their institutional power over the learning environment because there would be less fear of failure. Since this is usually the last line of defense against indolence or insolence, taking it away could drive some teachers away from their work for good.

Conclusion of the Pros and Cons of the Pass-Fail Grading System

There are several advantages to consider with the pass-fail grading system, but these issues all relate to the idea of minimizing risk. When students take a conservative approach to their educational needs, then it limits the number of rewards that are available. If you can achieve a high GPA in high school, college, or your graduate studies, then you can create a point of separation between your application for a dream job and everyone else who wants to do the same thing. Earning a “pass” could save a GPA in a tough class, but it can also prevent some students from achieving their full potential.

The pass-fail grading system offers fewer incentives because of its conservative approach. There is no need to work harder for a higher grade unless you’re below the minimum threshold to earn credit. If the majority of a student’s classes follow this approach, then it may be a challenge to establish healthy learning habits.

The pros and cons of the pass-fail grading system must be evaluated at the individual level whenever a decision must be made about one’s grades. If used strategically in ways that support a robust GPA, then it can be a useful way to study new subjects, expand horizons, and take some pressure off of the educational experience. Otherwise, this system could cause more harm than good in the way that it prepares people for their career.

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Pass-Fail Raises the Question: What’s the Point of Grades?

This pandemic has surfaced a dilemma frequently ignored: A-F grades are used poorly and for too many different purposes.

By Jack Schneider

Mr. Schneider is a professor of education at the University of Massachusetts.

In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, countless colleges and universities shifted from to A-F grades to a pass/fail system. As officials at Wellesley College explained , the general aim in doing so is to “support one another without being required to make judgments.”

Many K-12 school districts have done the same. From Palo Alto, C alif., to Wake County, N .C., local officials have concluded that now is not the time for grades. As teachers in Wisconsin’s Madison Metropolitan School District declared, “We cannot grade with equity when students’ experiences learning at home will be so varied.” And it’s not yet clear that most schools that have made this switch will fully return to letter grades in the fall.

But not everyone is happy with this outcome.

Some parents and activists are anxious that, without grades, students won’t receive adequate feedback on their work. Others worry that altering or eliminating the traditional grading scale will undermine student motivation and reward slacking off. As one Oregon parent pointedly asked in one of many online petitions pushing for the reinstatement of letter grades, “How do I explain to my child that has great grades that she should keep working hard when anything that is D- and above will still ‘pass’? This is ridiculous.” A similar but separate concern, expressed by ambitious students and their parents, is that without letter grades students will be at a disadvantage when competing for scholarships, college admission and merit aid.

The logistical calamities presented by the coronavirus have suddenly, and forcefully, surfaced an underlying problem frequently ignored before the crisis: A-F grades serve several different purposes, and those purposes are too often in conflict with one another. Americans may come to recognize by the end of this schooling crisis that we would all be better off without letter grades.

The original aim of grading, which can be traced back several centuries to English universities like Oxford and Cambridge, was to motivate students. As educators found, students tended to work harder if there was a brass ring for them to reach. This fact became more important in the latter half of the 19th century, as an increasing number of states made schooling compulsory .

With a new influx of reluctant pupils, many K-12 teachers were faced with a challenge even greater than keeping the average students focused: maintaining the attention of students who didn’t want to be there at all. Grades, then, also became a mechanism for coercion — rewards, but also punishments, with bad grades meant to serve as a socializing source of shame.

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Should We Consider Pass/Fail Grading?

29 Mar Should We Consider Pass/Fail Grading?

Thomas R. Guskey, Senior Research Scholar, University of Louisville

Originally published in Ed Week March 8, 2020 With schools around the world moving to online instruction in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, questions have been raised about adopting pass/fail grading. Advocates contend this would be fairer to students and teachers who must deal with unprecedented changes in both teaching and learning. They also suggest pass/fail grading would help students focus on learning to improve their understanding rather than performing primarily to achieve high grades. Opponents argue, however, that the change would diminish academic rigor and lessen students’ motivation to strive for excellence.

Research on pass/fail grading abounds. A Google search on “Scholarly articles on pass/fail grading” yields over 16 million hits. An ERIC search offers 335 articles and research studies. Quickly reviewing this research reveals the following:

1. Nearly all studies on pass/fail grading have been conducted at the college and university level, primarily in professional schools such as medicine, dentistry, and law.

2. Students who opt to take courses pass/fail generally do whatever is required to pass, but not much more.

3. If students take some courses that use traditional grading and others that use pass/fail grading, they generally put more effort into those that use traditional grades.

4. The key to successful pass/fail grading rests in establishing clear criteria for “pass” and making those criteria challenging, rigorous, and attainable.  Excellent examples include certification examinations in medicine, nursing, law, military or civil service.

But in light of this evidence, we must also consider the extraordinary nature of our current situation. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates is credited with the quote, “Desperate times require desperate measures.” What he meant is that in adverse circumstances, actions that might have been rejected under other circumstances may become the best choice. And these are certainly desperate times.

Considering our circumstances, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University, and Smith College all recently decided to temporarily shift to pass/fail grading after switching to remote learning this semester. Harvard officials refer to the grades as “emergency satisfactory” and “emergency unsatisfactory.” Numerous other universities are doing the same to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jonathan Zimmerman, who teaches education and history at the University of Pennsylvania, recently wrote an excellent essay about this change that can be retrieved at: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/03/26/reviewing-history-pass-fail-reminds-us-how-we-should-consider-option-today-opinion

Pass/fail grades may prove to be a viable option for K-12 educators as well. By making student learning our primary focus; helping students take that same focus; ensuring the criteria we establish for passing are clear, rigorous, and attainable; and then doing everything within our power to help ALL students meet those criteria; we may make the best of these difficult and trying times.

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Stanford studies show benefits of forgoing traditional grading during pandemic

New research examines the impact of pass/fail and other assessment policies in 2020 – 21 — and the challenges they face to becoming standard practice.

By Rachel Burstein

After “Western University” temporarily switched to universal pass/fail grading in the early phase of the pandemic, more women across the university enrolled in their first math course and in a smaller sample there was evidence of an uptick in enrollment by first generation college students, and Black, Latinx, and Native American students.

Monique Harrison, who recently received her doctorate from Stanford Graduate School of Education, identified this trend in her dissertation, and presented her findings in the spring at the 2022 Pandemic Pedagogy Research Symposium (PPRS) , organized by Duke Learning Innovation and co-sponsored by Stanford Digital Education. Her talk was one of a dozen or so at the event, including one from the Stanford Department of Computer Science, that examined how innovative pedagogies and assessments during the transition to emergency remote education in spring 2020 may have helped to make learning more student-centered, inclusive and equitable.

“The halt to in-person classes when COVID-19 struck led many educators to question the conventional wisdom in how we assess learning,” said Matthew Rascoff, Stanford vice provost for digital education who helped to found the symposium. “We need to understand the educational impact of alternative assessments developed during the pandemic, as Dr. Harrison and others are doing, so we can invest further in promising practices and continue them into the future.”

Although Harrison’s data comes from only one school, which she identified by the pseudonym “Western University,” her study underscores why similar enrollment changes are likely to have occurred at other schools that enacted pass/fail grading. Her interviews with students showed that the pass/fail mandate at Western was a major reason why they chose to take their first math class. Students in most introductory STEM courses are usually awarded grades in relation to one another, “on a curve.” In the pass/fail system, when these students were not being graded on a curve, they reported being less apprehensive, Harrison said.

“Especially in the first year, students have this question in their minds: ‘Where am I going to stand in comparison to my peers?'” Harrison explained. “That's where curved grading can really put particular groups of students in a worse position, psychologically.”

Spring: First math enrollments by gender

This graph shows spring first math enrollments over time by gender that Monique Harrison PhD ’22 found in her research at “Western University.” In the spring of the 2016-17 school year, enrollment of women in first math classes was somewhat higher than enrollment of men. In the spring of the 2017-18 school year, enrollment of women and men in first math classes was approximately equal. In the spring of the 2018-19 school year, enrollment of men in first math classes was slightly higher than enrollment of women. In the spring of the 2019-20 school year, overall enrollment in first-year math classes rose from prior years. Male enrollment was well above the 2016-17 and 2017-18 spring figures, and slightly below the 2018-19 spring level. Female enrollment rose from a previous high of around 75 students in 2018-19 to a new high of over 100 students in the spring of 2019-20.

Assessment innovations in the Computer Science Department

While Harrison’s work focused primarily on the pass/fail policy’s impact on enrollment, faculty and students in the computer science department examined how course design was affected by Stanford’s satisfactory/no credit grading policy for undergraduates and the university’s subsequent decision to eliminate final exams during remote learning. 

Both of those changes paved the way for some instructors to design assessments that gauged student learning and mastery, independent of the performance of other students in the course. In the mastery learning model, students must demonstrate proficiency of material before advancing to new material. 

Cynthia Lee, a lecturer in the computer science department, explained how she seized the opportunity to put aside the grading curve: “I’ve always wanted to experiment with some form of mastery learning, and [the remote learning period] was my chance.”

At the PPRS event, a study from researchers in the computer science department and Graduate School of Education examined new approaches to assessment that Lee and some of her colleagues implemented across six core computer science classes from spring 2020 through spring 2021, during remote learning. 

Across these courses, the Stanford CS Pedagogy Project team observed three types of assessment innovations: frequent, low-stakes quizzes; alternatives to final exams, including multiple smaller exams, oral interviews, and projects; and the use of revise-and-resubmit policies in which students could improve their grades on each iteration.

Pandemic innovations in assessment we observed

A diagram from Stanford CS Pedagogy Project shows the assessment innovations in six core computer science courses during the year of remote learning (spring 2020 through spring 2021). Two courses, CS109 and CS110, included concept checks in the form of weekly lecture low-stakes quizzes. Six courses rethought final exams: CS161, CS106B, CS107, CS103, and CS109 used multiple smaller exams instead of a midterm and final; CS106B used oral interviews; and CS110 and CS106B used a project or homework instead of an exam. Two courses altered revise and resubmit policies —  CS110 for homework and CS103 for exams.

Since the changes went into effect, the research team has interviewed faculty and students about the different approach to assessments. According to their findings, the faculty who experimented with the new approaches generally found them effective in encouraging students to concentrate on learning the course material, and feeling confident in their abilities, rather than focusing on the grade they might receive or comparing themselves with other students.

Lisa Yan, a lecturer in the computer science department, told the researchers that concept checks “provided an incentive for students to follow along [and] to feel confident that they understand the material before starting the assignment.”

Jenny Han, a graduate student member of the research team, said that students in the six core classes also appreciated the new assessment approaches. Students said that the innovations made learning more “iterative” and offered more opportunities to make the material stick. 

Some students in the courses that the researchers examined said that low stakes concept checks and revise-and-resubmit policies made them feel less rushed or pressured to perform well. Students were less anxious. And alternative assessments such as projects or oral interviews gave students an opportunity to apply their knowledge to real-world situations.

A student in CS109 reflected in a survey that concept checks and revise-and-resubmit policies “took the pressure off having to understand the material perfectly before being able to ask questions in office hours.” Another student in CS103 explained that revise-and-resubmit prevented “settling for ‘good enough,’” and instead promoted deeper engagement and learning.

But the innovations were not without problems. Department chair and Computer Science Professor John Mitchell, who led the research, said that instructors reported that more frequent exams or alternate forms of assessment such as projects or oral exams required more time to grade. While some students liked the changes, others expressed concerns that more frequent exams actually increased stress rather than reducing it. 

Faculty also expressed concerns that frequent online quizzes and other remote assessments could enable more cheating than would occur at an in-person final exam. But Mitchell said that some of the assessment innovations that computer science faculty pursued during spring 2020 could offer an antidote to the cheating problem. “Students have less incentive to cheat with a revise-and-resubmit option, because they have multiple opportunities to improve their grade,” Mitchell said. “In addition, oral interviews or project-based approaches are more difficult to cheat on.”

With the end of the universal pass/fail policy and the return to in-person classes, the researchers found that most of the assessment experiments have ended. Although some professors now weigh the final exam less heavily in calculating students’ final grades, many instructors dropped more complicated assessment innovations altogether. Faculty found it difficult to allow students unlimited opportunities to revise their work for a better grade when they were grading on a curve. And faculty found that devising and evaluating alternate forms of assessment was too time-intensive to be sustainable.    

An uphill climb

Established university assessment systems—including curved grading, time-based credits, and lecture-based instruction—don’t easily lend themselves to mastery-based learning. And the challenges to imposing large scale changes to assessment policies are even more complicated by higher education’s commitment to faculty autonomy.

It’s a challenge that is not lost on Han, Mitchell and Harrison, who recognize that reaching any consensus about a department-wide grading policy will not be easy to achieve. “There's this tension between really honoring individual autonomy for teachers to make those decisions about what assessment and what learning should look like, and also having department level best practices or guidelines,” Han said.

That challenge came through in a recent survey that Han, Mitchell and Harrison worked with graduate student Philip Hernandez, lecturers Cynthia Lee and Julie Zelenski, and undergraduate student Emanuel Adamiak to design and administer to 32 computer science faculty members. Respondents had a range of perspectives on whether their grade distributions should be consistent with those of other departmental faculty members. In addition, some instructors explicitly stated that they would like departmental-wide guidelines for grading, while others resisted that idea.

CS faculty agreement about grading continuity

A graph shows the distribution of agreement among computer science instructors with the following statement: “It’s important for my grade distributions to be consistent with other faculty’s grade distributions in the department.” Three chose "agree"; twelve chose "somewhat agree"; eight chose "neutral"; four chose "somewhat disagree"; and five chose "disagree."

But in a recent interview, Harrison said that getting the balance right between faculty autonomy and departmental guidance around assessment is crucial if universities are to serve students equitably. 

“Math is a subject where, from a very early age, students—especially women and underrepresented minorities—can be told that they don't belong and told they are not good at math,” she said. Grading on a curve can reinforce those messages and further inequities that result from these perceptions, she said.

In another study of math enrollment at Western University, Harrison, along with her co-authors Professor Mitchell Stevens and graduate student Philip Hernandez, found that situation to be exacerbated by the tendency for first-year students from affluent backgrounds to be more likely to enroll in math classes that covered concepts they had learned in high school. 

“You end up with more privileged students at the top of the grading curve,” Harrison said. “Not because they're better at math, but because they actually took that subject before.” 

That’s a trend that the CS Pedagogy Project researchers have their eye on, though they recognize that Harrison’s observations about math class enrollment may not map directly onto computer science. 

A minority of surveyed computer science faculty members said that they knew what percentage of their students were entering with prior knowledge. Many regarded that as a problem. Some instructors reasoned that having a departmental policy for placing experienced students in higher-level courses would level the playing field for novices. Pass/fail grading may be another way to do that, Harrison said.

But data from the CS Pedagogy Project’s survey of computer science faculty suggest that faculty don’t have a clear consensus on how to apply this type of grading. The survey asked instructors’ belief about what letter grade or below students would benefit from retaking a course. Responses ranged from B+ to NP, Stanford’s equivalent of an F. The median response was a C+. 

Yet when it comes to their own grading habits, instructors reported awarding passing grades to students that were below their target for retaking the course. Han said that this disconnect suggests that some students are passing classes where they haven’t achieved mastery in the eyes of instructors. 

Harrison added, “Pass/fail grading doesn't give you really fine-grained detail and feedback in the way that it might be more helpful to learning. But oftentimes regular grading doesn’t do that either.” 

What should universities do instead? 

During her dissertation defense in July, Harrison posted a slide that lists the policies that she would implement if she ran a university. Among other things, there would be no grading curves in math courses. Instructors would ask students about their prior experience. Course pace and clarity would reflect the needs of novices. 

Mitchell, who attended the dissertation defense, suggested that more evidence is needed before colleagues would be convinced about the benefits of a full shift to pass/fail grading. He asked: How much of the change in enrollment trends was caused by universal pass/fail grading in spring 2020, and how much of it might be attributable to classes being offered remotely along with other variables?

That’s an issue that Harrison plans to investigate. In the meantime, she’s just glad that researchers are even asking these questions. It signals a new awareness of the potential effect assessment strategies can have on educational inequities and the benefits that may be achieved by rethinking them.

Rachel Burstein is an independent education researcher and writer. She previously held research roles at EdSurge, New America, and Ithaka. Rachel holds a PhD in history from the CUNY Graduate Center. 

Published September 23, 2022

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Pros and Cons of Pass Fail Grading System

The pass-fail grading system is praised for fostering collaboration , reducing stress , and promoting a broader exploration of subjects. It shifts the focus from grades to mastering content and encourages a growth mindset. However, it may decrease academic motivation and lead to complacency, potentially affecting overall student performance. Critics argue about the risk of grade inflation and undermining the assessment process integrity. Equity concerns and fairness issues arise, impacting evaluations for scholarships and graduate school admissions. Despite the mentioned advantages and drawbacks, the pass-fail system has a significant influence on student learning and performance dynamics.

Table of Contents

• Reduces academic stress and competition among students.
• Encourages a focus on understanding material.
• Promotes collaboration and a supportive learning environment.
• May decrease motivation for academic excellence.

Benefits of Pass-Fail Grading

One of the advantages of implementing a pass-fail grading system is the reduction of unnecessary competition among students, fostering a more collaborative learning environment . Rather than focusing solely on outperforming their peers, students can concentrate on understanding the material and working together to achieve shared learning goals. This shift in focus promotes knowledge sharing, peer support, and a sense of community within the classroom.

Additionally, a pass-fail grading system can alleviate stress and anxiety commonly associated with traditional grading methods. Students are less likely to fixate on achieving the highest marks and more inclined to explore subjects without fear of failure. This freedom to experiment and take intellectual risks can lead to increased creativity, critical thinking, and overall academic engagement.

Moreover, pass-fail grading encourages students to pursue a broader range of subjects . Without the fear of a poor grade impacting their GPA, learners may feel more empowered to explore disciplines outside their comfort zone, fostering a well-rounded education and a deeper appreciation for diverse fields of study.

Impact on Student Motivation

Implementing a pass-fail grading system can greatly influence student motivation by reshaping their approach to learning and assessment. In a pass-fail system, the focus shifts from earning letter grades to mastering the material . This change can alleviate the pressure often associated with traditional grading scales, where students may be more concerned about achieving a high grade than truly understanding the content. As a result, students are encouraged to engage more deeply with the material, take academic risks, and explore topics they might have otherwise avoided due to fear of lower grades.

Moreover, the pass-fail system promotes a growth mindset by emphasizing learning for the sake of knowledge rather than for external validation. Students are more likely to collaborate with peers, seek help from instructors, and take on challenges that stretch their abilities.

This shift in mindset can lead to increased intrinsic motivation , as students become more focused on personal growth and development rather than on competing for grades. Ultimately, the pass-fail grading system can foster a positive learning environment where students are driven by a genuine desire to learn and improve.

Mental Health Considerations

When considering the implementation of a pass-fail grading system , it is essential to examine the potential impact on students' mental health.

The stress caused by traditional grading systems can have detrimental effects on students' well-being, highlighting the importance of exploring alternative evaluation methods.

Stress Impact on Students

The stress induced by academic performance expectations can greatly impact students' mental health when maneuvering a pass-fail grading system .

In traditional grading systems, students often experience pressure to achieve high marks , leading to heightened anxiety and stress levels . However, in a pass-fail system, while the pressure to excel may be reduced, students may still face stress due to the uncertainty of achieving a passing grade.

The ambiguity of not knowing whether their performance meets the minimum requirements for a pass can be a significant source of stress for students. This uncertainty can lead to heightened anxiety, affecting their overall mental well-being.

Additionally, students may feel a lack of motivation to perform at their best if the grading system does not differentiate between varying levels of achievement.

Therefore, while a pass-fail grading system can alleviate some academic stressors, it is essential for educational institutions to provide adequate support systems and resources to help students cope with the mental health challenges that may arise from this grading structure.

Anxiety Reduction Benefits

Students' mental health can benefit from reduced anxiety levels when managing a pass-fail grading system due to the alleviation of performance pressure associated with traditional grading methods.

The pass-fail system allows students to focus more on the learning process itself rather than fixating solely on achieving a high grade. This shift in focus can lead to decreased levels of stress and anxiety related to academic performance.

One significant advantage of the pass-fail grading system is the elimination of the constant need to compete with peers for top grades.

This reduction in competition can create a more collaborative learning environment , where students are motivated to support each other rather than view classmates as rivals. Consequently, students may experience less anxiety about outperforming others and can concentrate on their personal growth and development .

Motivation and Engagement

Enhancing students' motivation and engagement , particularly in relation to mental health factors , is an essential aspect to take into account when implementing a pass-fail grading system in educational settings.

The pass-fail system can alleviate the pressure associated with traditional grading scales, potentially reducing stress levels and promoting a healthier mental state among students. By removing the focus on achieving high letter grades, students may feel less anxious about their performance and be more inclined to engage actively in the learning process.

Moreover, a pass-fail grading system can encourage students to explore a wider range of subjects without the fear of jeopardizing their GPA. This freedom to experiment and take intellectual risks can enhance motivation, as students are driven by a genuine interest in the material rather than the pursuit of a perfect score.

Additionally, the pass-fail system fosters a more collaborative and supportive learning environment , as students are more likely to collaborate and help each other succeed without the pressure of direct competition.

Effects on Academic Performance

The shift to a pass-fail grading system can markedly impact students' motivation , as the absence of traditional grades may alter their drive to excel academically.

In addition, this change can influence the way students approach learning, potentially shifting the focus from grades to a deeper engagement with the material.

Understanding how these effects play out in academic performance is essential when considering the implementation of a pass-fail grading system.

Impact on Motivation

An examination of the pass-fail grading system reveals a significant impact on student motivation and its subsequent effects on academic performance .

The pass-fail system can influence student motivation in various ways. On one hand, some students may feel less pressured by the pass-fail system, leading to decreased stress levels and potentially increased motivation to learn for the sake of gaining knowledge rather than just achieving high grades. This can foster a more intrinsic motivation that is essential for long-term academic success.

On the other hand, some students may perceive the pass-fail system as lowering the value of their efforts, resulting in a decline in motivation to excel. Without the traditional grading scale to aim for, students might lack the drive to push themselves academically. Consequently, this could negatively impact their academic performance as they may not put forth their best efforts without the external reward of grades.

Influence on Learning

Research shows that the pass-fail grading system can have a significant impact on students' academic performance by altering their approach to learning and achievement.

With the removal of traditional letter grades, students in a pass-fail system may experience reduced stress and anxiety associated with the fear of failure. This can create a more conducive learning environment where students feel more inclined to take intellectual risks and explore challenging concepts without the constant pressure of maintaining a high GPA.

However, the pass-fail grading system also has its drawbacks. Some critics argue that without the incentive of earning top grades, students may become complacent and less motivated to excel academically.

This could potentially lead to a decline in overall performance and a lack of drive to push beyond minimum requirements.

Potential for Grade Inflation

Grade inflation poses a significant challenge in the implementation of a pass fail grading system . With the shift to a pass fail system, where students are assessed based on whether they meet a minimum standard rather than graded on a curve, there is a concern that it could lead to an increase in the number of students receiving passing grades without truly mastering the material. This potential for grade inflation may arise from various factors.

Initially, instructors might feel pressured to award passing grades more liberally to maintain high pass rates, which could undermine the integrity of the assessment process . In addition, students may also be less motivated to aim for excellence if the focus shifts solely to passing rather than achieving higher grades.

Additionally, without the differentiation provided by traditional grading scales , it may become challenging to accurately gauge students' levels of understanding and performance. Therefore, while the pass fail grading system offers benefits, such as reducing competitiveness and stress, measures must be put in place to prevent grade inflation and guarantee that students are still held to rigorous academic standards .

Equity and Fairness Concerns

Equity considerations become paramount in the context of implementing a pass fail grading system , as the shift raises concerns regarding fairness in evaluating students' academic performance . One of the primary equity concerns is the potential impact on students' opportunities for scholarships , internships, graduate school admissions, and employment prospects.

With traditional grading systems, students' grades serve as a clear indicator of their performance levels, allowing for easy comparison among peers. However, in a pass fail system, nuances in academic achievements may be overlooked, leading to potential disparities in opportunities for students.

Moreover, there are concerns that a pass fail grading system could disproportionately affect marginalized or underrepresented student groups . Without detailed grades to showcase their abilities, these students may face additional barriers in competing with their peers who have more visible academic records.

It is crucial for educational institutions to contemplate these equity implications carefully and implement strategies to guarantee that all students are given a fair chance to demonstrate their capabilities and compete on an equal footing .

Preparation for Real-World Assessments

Preparing students for real-world assessments involves shifting from a theoretical understanding to practical application in authentic settings.

The pass-fail grading system can play an essential role in this preparation by emphasizing competency over grades . In the real world, individuals are often judged based on their ability to deliver results and perform tasks effectively rather than their ability to score well on exams. By adopting a pass-fail grading system, students are encouraged to focus on mastering skills and knowledge rather than solely aiming for high marks.

Moreover, real-world assessments often require individuals to demonstrate a diverse set of skills, including critical thinking , problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.

The pass-fail grading system can better reflect a student's overall readiness for the challenges of the professional world by placing importance on holistic development rather than just academic performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a pass-fail system affect college admissions?.

A pass-fail grading system can simplify evaluation for college admissions by focusing on overall performance without being bogged down by specific grades. It allows for a more holistic assessment of applicants' capabilities and potential.

Will Pass-Fail Grading Impact Graduate School Applications?

The impact of a pass-fail grading system on graduate school applications varies among institutions. Some schools may view it neutrally, focusing more on other aspects of an applicant's profile, while others may prefer traditional letter grades for assessment.

What Are the Implications for Scholarships With Pass-Fail Grading?

The implications for scholarships with pass-fail grading may vary. Some scholarships may require specific grades for eligibility, potentially impacting students on a pass-fail system. It is advisable for students to check scholarship criteria carefully.

Can Students Still Track Their Progress Effectively With Pass-Fail?

Students can track progress effectively with pass-fail grading by focusing on mastery of content rather than chasing specific grades. Clear learning objectives, regular feedback, and self-assessment tools can help students monitor their development and make informed academic decisions.

How Do Employers View Pass-Fail Grades on Resumes?

Employers generally prefer to see traditional letter grades on resumes as they provide a clear indication of academic performance. Pass-fail grades may raise questions about a candidate's proficiency in specific subjects or overall level of achievement.

To sum up, the pass-fail grading system offers benefits such as reducing stress and promoting a more holistic approach to learning.

However, it may also impact student motivation and potentially lead to grade inflation.

It is vital to evaluate the effects on academic performance , equity, and fairness when implementing this grading system.

Ultimately, the pass-fail system can provide a valuable alternative to traditional grading methods, but it is crucial to carefully weigh the pros and cons before adoption.

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Luke J Davies

October 8th, 2021, no grades, no classes, just pass/fail.

1 comment | 10 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

As we return to a near-normal academic year, Luke J Davies considers if our experiments during the pandemic are worth pursuing, especially in the area of assessment. He makes a case for pass/fail assessment for first-year courses.

The debate over how to assess university students is a long-standing one. Educators regularly question the merits of finely-grained grading systems in terms of their impact on both university education itself and how students move from education to the working world. Somewhat surprisingly given its prevalence, the percentage-based grade classification scheme that is so widespread in the UK is often the target of criticism rather than the recipient of support in these discussions. The debate over assessment has recently been refired due to the pandemic, and the sweeping changes that universities have had to make in light of it (such as moving to online assessment, being more flexible with deadlines, and opting for a more asynchronous approach overall). Some universities have moved to pass/fail grading under current circumstances, but is it the time to do away with grades altogether?

I recently argued that the LSE should adopt a pass/fail grading system in first-year courses over the more fine-grained system of percentages and degree classifications in the UK. Under this kind of system, students would receive written feedback after their assignments and at the end of the course, but no grades would be assigned. There would be a threshold set for passing each course, but no numerical or grade distinction between passing results. Some might wonder if such a big change to the status quo is justified. Indeed, despite the touted benefits of pass/fail assessment (see sidebar), there are persistent doubts that get raised. Let me address three of them here:

Don’t we disadvantage our students by using pass/fail grading?

One concern is that students applying to graduate school and graduate jobs will be at a disadvantage. If only some universities move to a pass/fail system, then students from those universities will be competing for jobs and spaces against others who would be able to refer to their GPA, degree classification, or ranking within their cohort. Against this worry, the pandemic has moved some universities to adopt a pass/fail system and to adjust their admissions policies accordingly. There’s no reason why other universities and employers couldn’t do the same.

In addition, blocking positive pedagogical changes on the basis of the way in which hiring decisions are made relies too much on an instrumental conception of education. Some might respond to this saying: whether we like it or not, higher education is part of a broader set of institutions that includes employers, and those other institutions shouldn’t have to bend to the choices of universities. Complaining about instrumental conceptions of education is too easy. It’s important to see what is right in this response. Universities do serve an instrumental purpose and we shouldn’t try to eliminate all the instrumental features of university education. But it’s a mistake to think that students from universities with a pass/fail system will automatically be disadvantaged. Those who advocate pass/fail grading also often advocate a kind of narrative assessment according to which each student is given a set of comments about their progress in each course. These comments would form the basis of a far more informative graduate school or job application than one based on number grades.

The benefits of pass/fail grading

• It fosters a more active and engaged approach from students.
• It requires teachers to be more explicit about the standards of their discipline.
• It promotes student-centred learning (which is itself, linked to deeper learning on the part of students).
• It decreases the sense of competition between students.

Moreover, a pass/fail system can do this while avoiding the deleterious effects on education that attend the assignment of grades. Grades have been linked to a more instrumental approach to studying, increased anxiety, and an increased perception of teachers as authority figures to be deferred to rather than facilitators to be engaged with or challenged.

Won’t student motivation decrease?

Others might worry that student motivation will decrease if we get rid of grades. As things stand, grades form an important part of the motivational structure in higher education and so their removal might undermine student motivation. If they are not striving for higher grades, or to be top of the class, there is a risk that students will coast. I think there are two responses to this. The first is that student motivation hasn’t been demonstrated to decrease overall when the move to pass/fail has been made. Though of course some students have lost motivation, the general trend is one of students becoming intrinsically motivated. The second response is that if student motivation were to decrease overall, then that would be a damning indictment of the way in which we teach young people to think about their education. To suggest that it is reasonable to worry that students will not be motivated if grades are not involved is to suggest that we have taught them that the purpose of education is merely instrumental. If it were true that motivation dropped following a move to pass/fail grading, that would be a clear sign that much greater changes are necessary. There is a closely related worry here: namely that a move to pass/fail grading will lead to lower standards. This need not be true. The standards for a `pass’ can be set as high as course convenors and departments wish, and there is no reason to think that students will all default to completing what would now be considered the bare minimum.

Aren’t we punishing academics with more admin by doing this?

A final reservation that I will consider is that a pass/fail system would unfairly burden academics and administrators with additional duties. Aren’t there more than enough administrative duties in universities? And wouldn’t any further increase detract from teaching and research? I think that there is some merit to this concern, particularly in the early stages of the transition to pass/fail assessment. Changing something this significant takes time and energy. However, I believe it is a mistake to think that the workload for individual courses would change dramatically, unless what is being done presently is the bare minimum. If we are only assigning grades and not giving feedback, then it would require more work to opt for a pass/fail system. But this is not normally the way things are done (at least in my experience). We already give students feedback on their assignments and write end-of-term reports. What we need to do now is figure out (i) what we expect of students at different levels, (ii) how to communicate that to them, and (iii) what forms of assessment are appropriate to this. I believe that we already do (i)-(iii), but we are not as explicit about it as we could be. For that reason, there would be work involved in the move to pass/fail grading. But it wouldn’t be as drastic as it’s sometimes made out to be.

The best way to determine whether the objections are good ones is to try it out. A pass/fail system just for first-year courses would be an excellent starting place. Most UK universities already drastically reduce the weighting of first year courses in their overall degree classifications, so this wouldn’t disrupt the status quo too much. If that is successful, we can think about being more ambitious.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This post is opinion-based and does not reflect the views of the London School of Economics and Political Science or any of its constituent departments and divisions. 

Image: Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

About the author

Luke J Davies is an LSE Fellow in the Department of Government, LSE

This study seems to suggest grading on a pass/fail basis does reduce effort https://www.nber.org/papers/w30798

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An approach to HE that stands the test of time and the pandemic July 15th, 2021

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Everything You Need to Know About Pass/Fail Classes

Reviewed and edited by Tyson Schritter : 28 March, 2024.

In today’s adaptable educational setting, universities are implementing new grading systems to accommodate different student requirements. Pass/Fail Grading Systems are becoming popular because they offer students more freedom and a more comprehensive learning experience.

In this changing educational climate, it is important to understand the differences and benefits of these grading systems. We will examine the complexities of Pass/Fail Grading Systems and how they affect how students learn and succeed academically.

Understanding Pass/Fail Grading System

Pass/fail classes use a binary grading system, meaning they do not record a letter grade on your college transcript. Instead, you will simply earn credit depending on whether you did satisfactory work in the class. This allows all final grades of A, B, and C (and, in some cases, D) to be weighed equally as a passing score.

Typically, most universities award passes for earning any grade higher than a D. However, some universities may only give out passing grades to students earning grades higher than a C, especially if the course is specific to their major.

It’s always important to check your professor’s grading policies or to speak with your academic advisor before registering on a pass/fail basis.

As a result of the binary grading system, GPA is not affected by any pass/fail courses so long as you finish the semester with a passing grade.

If passed, the course units will count toward your graduation requirements with no effect on your GPA. If a fail is given, however, your GPA can be harmed severely.

A failed class in the pass/fail system earns you zero points (as opposed to a 1.0/2.0 for partial completion in a regular grading system), ultimately weighing heavily on your overall GPA.

Pros of Taking Pass/Fail Classes

When GPA weighs less as a factor, students become more willing to register for courses outside of their intended major and into those with which they are less familiar. Pass/fail classes allow students to explore interests without GPA concerns.

By using this to their advantage, they can go out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves while still having time to prioritize courses directly related to their degree.

Another advantage of taking classes on a pass/fail grading system is that it removes the stigma around poor grades. The traditional grading system punishes students with low grades, even if they are technically passing.

As and Bs reward those who already excel academically, while lower grades can discourage students and make them afraid to ask for help. Not to mention the competition that students can have between one another! Pass/fail classes encourage collaboration with everyone on an equal playing field, so nobody gets caught up in the difference between a B and a B-.

students tend to engage more deeply in the course content with one another, forgetting about the pressure to receive an A on every assignment.

Cons of Taking Pass/Fail Classes

Although the pass/fail system can be advantageous in many regards, it still comes with its fair share of setbacks. The most glaring problem is that many students can come to the conclusion that their performance no longer matters.

This grading system asks that students only fulfill the bare minimum to pass. But the problem is that working not to fail and working to earn an A are two very different academic goals. Because of this, students have a higher risk of slacking off when they know that a class is graded on a pass/fail basis.

This mentality is especially harmful if they choose to stop attending class when attendance and participation end up counting toward their grade. Students should continue to strive for their best and consider the time and effort needed to pass for course credit.

Pass/fail courses can also be disadvantageous for those who want to measure their individual performance in class. All students earn the same credentials, whether they understand the content thoroughly or if they just barely scrape by.

Not only do students who excel in these courses miss out on a positive addition to their GPA, but they also lose a clear sense of where they can improve in their studies.

For example, in majors whose grades accurately gauge how well prepared a student is for a specific profession, such as medical and engineering fields, students are only taught to be “good enough” in a pass/fail class, rather than to work harder to raise the bar.

For grad school plans, pass/fails may be seen as inadequate, leading to potential requests for retaking courses. In this case, it may be better to show that you earned a B in a class over nothing more than a passing grade.

Considerations Before Choosing Pass/Fail Option

Consider eligibility before deciding on pass/fail classes. Many universities only allow those in upper-division (junior and senior) standing to have this option, so it’s always best to get in touch with an advisor to review policies and deadlines for declaring a class as pass/fail.

Along with this, there are a number of other limitations universities usually put on pass/fail systems. Most do not allow students to take pass/fail courses within their major, minor, or general education requirements, and some limit the number of pass/fails that a student can take.

School policies may also state that students are not allowed to retake a course if it was graded on a pass/fail basis. As a general rule of thumb, it is good to take no more than one pass/fail class per semester and no more than four total within a single degree program.

After researching, you may discover you don’t need to take any pass/fail classes during your degree program. The option is simply becoming more accessible nation-wide as a result of COVID-19’s effects on higher education, including a large percentage of university closures .

The pass/fail system is simply meant to benefit those who want to learn a diverse array of subjects, get some help in transitioning to online learning, or need to balance out academic responsibilities without having to worry about GPA as a factor.

It’s important to find a learning system that works best for you so that you can succeed and achieve your academic and professional goals.

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The Impact of Pass/Fail Grading

Durning, Steven J. MD; Artino, Anthony R. Jr PhD; Holmboe, Eric MD

Professor, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland; ( [email protected] ). (Durning)

Assistant professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. (Artino)

Senior vice president for quality research and academic affairs, American Board of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, professor adjunct of medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, and adjunct professor of medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. (Holmboe)

We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing dialogue regarding self-regulated learning and assessment. To this end, we wish to clarify our stance on Bloodgood and colleagues' report, as well as suggest some additional outcomes to consider when transitioning from a graded to a pass/fail curriculum.

We were not disappointed that the researchers found no improvement in students' performance with the change to pass/fail grading; rather, we were not surprised, because the students were aware of their final grade percentages, confirming our expectations based on self-regulation theory. Indeed, we again wish to congratulate Bloodgood and colleagues and the other authors 1,2 whose related articles were published in the same issue of Academic Medicine for their important and timely work. We also acknowledge the challenges inherent to changing the grading culture at an institution and the prevailing faculty perspective. Moreover, we are encouraged by the progress made by Bloodgood and colleagues, and we look forward to future updates in this important endeavor.

Finally, we wish to briefly comment on some additional outcomes to potentially consider when moving to a pass/fail system. Recently, the importance of affect and its influence on learning, performance, and later efforts to self-regulate has received greater emphasis in the education literature. In short, educational psychologists have begun exploring other factors that might influence academic success—factors such as motivation and emotion that go beyond simple cognition, 3 and we are pleased that Bloodgood and colleagues have begun to explore some of these issues. For instance, in addition to anxiety and well-being, it might be interesting to measure other achievement-related emotions, like enjoyment and frustration, both before and after large-scale curricular changes. Furthermore, the use of advanced statistical techniques, like structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear modeling, might shed additional light on the complex interrelations that are likely to exist between cognition, motivation, and emotion in contrasting pass/fail and graded systems. We believe that broadening outcomes in medical education will go a long way toward improving research and practice.

Steven J. Durning, MD

Professor, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland; ( [email protected] ).

Anthony R. Artino, Jr., PhD

Assistant professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.

Eric Holmboe, MD

Senior vice president for quality research and academic affairs, American Board of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, professor adjunct of medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, and adjunct professor of medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.

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Opinion: A Pass/Fail grading system should be implemented earlier

Teah Swartzon

I’ve always been obsessed with achieving straight A’s on my report card. The school I attended from preschool through sixth grade pushed me to think that as long as you get an A, you can be happy, successful and financially stable in your career. But now, after growing up and putting so much pressure on myself to be a perfect student, I realize there is so much more to school than grades.

Recently, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, several schools are exploring the pass/fail grade system. Pass fail grades are S (satisfactory) or E (effort unsatisfactory). According to the U.S News and World Report, college officials are aiming to reduce pressure on students and encourage a focus on the outcome of learning.

The advantages of a pass/fail grading system include the fact that students perceive less pressure because they are not actively competing with their peers or worrying about letters and numbers. Instead, they can focus on comprehending and using the information they learn. Students can also focus on learning at their own pace, as a result of not having to focus on earning an A.

Unfortunately, there are detriments to this system as well. There are no exact scores, therefore, students are unable to see how well they are understanding the information given. Also, students have reported that grades are a big incentive for them to pay more attention in class and focus on the material. The absence of that incentive may cause students to become lazy and unfocused.

The editor in chief of Connect US described the positive and negative aspects of Pass/Fail. Among the pros, less stress, fairness and removing harmful stigmas were emphasized. On the other hand, reduced incentives, limiting competitiveness and the retention of grading bias stood out. It is clear that, as with most things, there are benefits and detriments to this form of learning.

Study International reports that with a pass and fail grading system, it is easier to even the playing field for students at an unfair advantage in regards to online learning. It allows for those who are financially or mentally at a disadvantage to have equal opportunities with those who are not.

The pass/fail system may have a few disadvantages, but the benefits of students being less stressed and more focused seem to outweigh them. I believe implementing a pass/fail system for students, starting while they are young, enforces the thought that grades are not everything. In a society obsessed with letters and numbers, we can pivot and preach focusing on important material and doing your best.

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What is Pass/Fail Grading?

Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman is a content editor and writer at Scholarships360. He has managed communications and written content for a diverse array of organizations, including a farmer’s market, a concert venue, a student farm, an environmental NGO, and a PR agency. Gabriel graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in sociology.

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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

As you make decisions about your college schedule, it’s important to have a good understanding of the Pass/Fail grading system. At most schools, students have the option of taking classes on a Pass/Fail basis. If you’re unsure about how you’ll perform in a class, Pass/Fail can be a great option to reduce the chance of hurting your GPA. Keep reading to learn more about the situations in which Pass/Fail is a good idea.

How the Pass/Fail grading system works

If you enroll in a Pass/Fail course, you will end up receiving one of two possible grades. Those are, as you may be able to guess, “Pass” or “Fail.” As long as you pass the course, you won’t have any letter grade on your transcript for the course. It will simply say that you passed. Furthermore, it won’t impact your GPA. You’ll receive credit for the course that you can put towards graduation.

If you fail the course, your transcript will show an “F” or a “Fail.” In this case, you won’t receive any credit for the course, and your GPA will be impacted. With this binary, a student who earns a C- will end up with the same recognition as one who earns an A. 

Pass/Fail regulations vary by university, but typically, students can choose to enroll Pass/Fail at the beginning of the course up until about 4 weeks in. Sometimes, you’ll need special permission from a professor in order to take their course Pass/Fail. If you are banking on taking a course Pass/Fail, make sure to ensure that the professor allows it before you enroll.

Pros of taking Pass/Fail courses

Taking courses Pass/Fail can be a great idea for students in certain situations. Let’s dig into all of the pros of this grading system.

1. Allows you to experiment with new subjects without risking your GPA

Let’s say you’ve always wanted to try your hand at music theory, but you’re more accustomed to taking biology courses. But you’re not sure whether you’ll perform well on exams and assignments, and you don’t want a C on your transcript. Taking the course Pass/Fail can be a great option. You can expand your horizons without risking your GPA.

2. Can help balance a busy schedule

During some semesters, you may find yourself with an especially busy class/extracurricular schedule. If you are worried that you won’t be able to give each class your all, taking one pass/fail could be a good idea. This way, you’ll have one course that you aren’t so worried about getting an “A” in.

3. May ease your diversification requirements

Academic diversification requirements can be a major source of difficulty for some students. If you have to take courses in a field that is very unfamiliar to you, you may worry about the grade you’ll earn. You can look into taking those courses Pass/Fail, to allow you to complete the requirement without impacting your GPA.

4. Reduces stress

If you are under a lot of stress, it can be tough to juggle all of your responsibilities. Taking a course Pass/Fail helps ease at least one of those responsibilities. With lower performance expectations for the course, you may have a bit more time to decompress.

Cons of taking Pass/Fail courses

Although Pass/Fail courses can be a great option for some students, there are some important stipulations. Make sure to read through these carefully to consider the impact of your choice.

1. Some graduate schools view it unfavorably

If you are planning on applying to graduate school after college, you should keep in mind that some graduate schools are wary of Pass/Fail grades. They want to see that you have performed well across the board, and they may assume that you only slid by with a C in your Pass/Fail courses. 

2. You typically cannot use pass/fail credits towards a major or minor

At most schools, you cannot use your Pass/Fail credits towards your major or minor. This means that you won’t be able to take advantage of this grading system for your main fields of study. But it also has other consequences. Let’s say you decide to try out that Music Theory course, and take it Pass/Fail. You find that you do great in the class, and decide to minor in music. You won’t be able to use that credit towards your minor, which could be highly inconvenient. Sometimes, the registrar will be willing to work with you, but it is definitely a drawback to consider.

3. Could lead to slipping grades

If you are taking a Pass/Fail course, you may be less motivated to give it your all. Some students may even let their grade slip dangerously close to that failing grade. If you decide to take a Pass/Fail course, make sure not to let this happen. The last thing you want is to be on the verge of a failing grade at the end of the semester.

4. You could lose a potential boost to your GPA

Once you decide to take a course Pass/Fail, you cannot revert it to the regular grading system. If you take to the class well and perform well, you’ll be missing out on the GPA boost it could have offered. To minimize the chances of this happening, you should not declare your Pass/Fail until close to your school’s deadline. Take a few weeks of the class first to try and get a feel for whether you’ll need the Pass/Fail security.

Final thoughts

Pass/Fail grading is a great way to take a course without worrying too much about grades. But before you decide to Pass/Fail a course, there are a few things you should be sure to do. Here’s a review of each of those things:

• Make sure to speak with your professor before signing up. Ensure that they accept Pass/Fail students. 
• Ensure that you don’t plan on majoring or minoring in the subject.
• Wait until a date close to the Pass/Fail filing deadline in order to file. This gives you as much time as possible to decide whether you want to major or minor in the subject, or whether you’ll excel in the class and want it as a GPA boost.

Good luck, and make sure to check out our other resources for college students:

• Scholarships360 major guides
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• Should I double major or minor? How to decide
• Guide to double major
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Frequently asked questions about the Pass/Fail grading system

What happens if i declare a major after taking a pass/fail course in the subject, what is pass/d/fail, scholarships360 recommended.

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Teaching with a Pass/Fail Grading System

Introduction

In recent years, a number of schools have converted to the pass/fail grading system. Some highschools and colleges will require first year students to follow the system in order to give them room to transition. Many elementary and middle-schools follow it completely. Many colleges and universities offer the option to record any elective as a pass or a fail. In any case, students and teachers have mixed feelings about whether or not the method benefits student learning and provides means for a smooth transition into the real world. Some say it disregards the more hard-working students, while others say that it calms many students, making for a more even playing field. Nevertheless, educators should consider both sides of the argument when deciding whether or not to switch to a pass/fail grading system.

With so many schools considering the switch to a pass/fail grading scheme, free informational resources exist all across the internet. Teachers can utilize these resources to better understand the different assessment systems.

Lesson Plan

• Standard Based Grading : Common Goal Systems inc. defines and illustrates examples Standard Based Grading (SGB). The method involves breaking lessons down into specific targets for students, rather than into percentages that lead to overall grades. The assessment system encourages students to focus more on their lessons than on percentages and fosters a more positive learning environment. The article was written for the intended use on primary education settings. However, teachers could potentially modify the practice to work for older students.
• Rubric Example : This resource from Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberlin Center introduces the use of performance rubrics. The page lists the benefits of using rubrics and provides a means for teachers to implement them into their own classes. It provides sample rubrics for evaluating essays, projects, oral presentations, and class participation. Teachers can use these samples to introduce rubrics into their classes. However a teacher chooses to present a student’s performance, a rubric would certainly help in quantitatively assessing it.
•   Alternatives to the Letter-Based : In this article, TeachThought provides a list of 12 substitutes for the letter-grade format. The alternatives include live feedback, non-points based rubrics, and of course pass/fail. Each option is intended to motivate students to focus more on improving, with the removal of letter-based labels. Should teachers choose to abandon letter-grades, but desire options in their assessment alternatives, this list would certainly help in their decision.
• Principal Pros and Cons : This page from ConnectUs lists 19 pros and cons of utilizing the pass/fail format. It arranges a great foundational understanding of the benefits of both formats. The article presents that the pass fail evaluation system eases the stress of the students, but at the same time leaves no room for differentiation among those who succeed. Someone who “far exceeds the threshold or failure” receives the same amount of credit as someone who just barely surpasses that threshold.
• Pass/Fail Positives : Here, David A. Tomar of The Quad Magazine argues for the pass/fail system. Each point that the author makes leads to the conclusion that all schools would benefit from the practice. He asserts that starting a pass/fail system in college, the time when most schools offer the option, is too late in life, as students are already trained to rely on grades for validation and motivation. As a result, he claims that a pass/fail system should be implemented in early education. This resource provides educators with a very passionate argument for the renouncement of the letter-grade system.
• Grad Student Opinions : This study from College Quarterly reflects student attitudes towards both the pass/fail and traditional letter-based format. Based on student responses to a poll, researchers Michalis Michaelides and Ben Kirshner concluded that a letter-based system resulted in higher levels of effort, stress, and comparison between students. The study does not lean towards any one side of the debate, but instead presents all gathered information. It does an excellent job of presenting the authentic student perspective on each approach.

Informational Sites

• Clinical Case & Commentary : This page from Research Gate provides a downloadable pdf of an article that covers perspectives on the pass/fail and letter-based grading systems. The article starts with an example of medical student perspectives, and goes on to present commentary on the issue from Bonnie M. Miller, MD, Adina Kalet, MD, MPH, Ryan C. VanWoerkom, Nicholas Zorko, and Julia Halsey. These commentaries touch upon alternative teaching strategies, criteria-based assessment, and faculty’s role in student learning. The article provides information on both approaches, including the ins and outs, as well as student and faculty perspectives. 
• Intro and Advantages : Campus Explorer introduces the ins and outs of the pass/fail method. It outlines the method and how a number of colleges and universities, including the College of William and Mary, Brandeis, and UPenn, have implemented it. Along with the introduction, the article includes a paragraph addressing the advantages of the system. This page provides a great foundation for learning about the pass/fail method. Any teachers who may be confused about the practice, or who may be on the fence about adopting it can lean on this page for advice. 
• Criteria For Evaluating Student Work : This resource from Vanderbilt University’s Center for Teaching discusses the practice of grading student work. It touches upon the advantages of providing students with more specific grades. The resource encourages teachers to use a variety of formats, including the occasional pass/fail style, in order to optimize the learning and grading processes.

Many medical schools follow a pass fail grade format because of the sheer intensity of the curriculum. In similar cases, ones in which exceeding the threshold of failure is just barely plausible, a pass/fail format could certainly relieve plenty of stress and leave most students fairly represented grade-wise. However, many employers, including residency programs enjoy differentiation among students. Whether the method will help or hurt the students is not necessarily clear, as students may respond differently to such routines. In the end, it is up to the teacher and the school’s administration to decide whether or not to implement this practice.

Additional Resources

• Example of the University of Wisconsin’s Pass/Fail Option : This page from the University of Wisconsin’s Knowledgebase outlines their guidelines for offering students the option to take a course as pass/fail. The page gives reasoning for why a student may utilize this option and acknowledges that the majority of the students’ courses will be graded in the traditional A-F format. Students can opt to grade an elective as pass/fail so as to lower stress levels and to leave room for exploring interests. This page can give educators an idea of a working pass/fail structure at a university. 
•   Pass/Fail and Discretionary Grading : Scientific Research Publishing’s study explores the advantages and disadvantages of both a pass/fail and traditional system. It analyzes how they have evolved over the years and considers the subjectivity of each method. It also differentiates “criterion-referenced” and “norm-referenced” rating practices, discussing the way that assessment is often based on a comparison of the students’ peers. Overall, this study gives a good overview and history of American schooling structures.
• TEDx De-Grading Education : In this 11-minute TEDxBeaconStreet talk, Elizabeth Wissner-Gross criticizes the traditional American education structure. She blames ranking for America’s alleged lagging behind other school systems, claiming that a fear of grade inflation forces teachers to “anti-teach.” She makes some good points regarding changes to be made in the American education and lifestyle in order to benefit today’s youth.

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Letter Grades or Pass/Fail?

by Staff Writers Sakshi Umrotkar & Alina Zeng

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused school districts nationwide to adopt unique teaching methods, from virtual lectures on video conferencing apps to online assignments and activities, in an effort to continue teaching remotely throughout the school year. 

Although districts and school faculty are tirelessly working to ensure that school closures do not impact students’ performance and learning abilities, semester grades are a source of looming concern for many students. High school students across the nation who would ordinarily be in their fourth quarter of the school year have argued to keep the current letter grade system, or to transition to a Pass/Fail system.

FOR LETTER GRADES

As high schools in the US adjust to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, students and parents are questioning the validity of the conventional letter grading system in remote learning. However, letter grades are necessary in order to provide students with specific insight into their performance in classes, allowing them to assess their understanding of course material, and giving them an incentive to work harder to meet academic benchmarks.

Since students will rely solely on remote learning for the rest of the school year, it is important that administration and faculty members consider the importance of letter grades in maintaining students’ motivation before deciding on an appropriate system. Precise letter grades incentivize students to consistently push themselves to achieve a higher letter grade rather than to settle for a passing grade. An Oregon State University professor who taught a Pass/Fail class noted that two-thirds of his students came to class unprepared, and just over half submitted their required work on time. He passed all of them but said it was “an insult to the conscientious student.” This shows how alternative grading systems, such as Pass/Fail, would only lower the bar for academic performance and breed unmotivated students who rely on the system’s rudimentary nature to pass their classes.

Under the Pass/Fail system, students might automatically assume that receiving a Pass indicates success in the class despite their bare minimum performance. Such misconceptions can lead to students not challenging themselves to reach their academic goals. Tangible letter grades, however, reward students for going above and beyond, and are able to motivate students for gaining a full understanding of the curriculum.

Many teachers have adjusted their individual lesson plans to preserve the spirit of learning while resisting cheating. Conventional testing is pointless without a controlled classroom environment that helps students concentrate; since students have access to an abundance of materials at home, it is possible for them to cheat or get easily sidetracked by household activity. As a result, teachers have been assigning more projects and assignments that support remote learning, such as virtual labs and essays. Furthermore, many teachers have transitioned to open book tests, circumventing the problem of cheating by instead creating test questions that require more critical thinking rather than factual memorization. Open book tests encourage students to think for themselves, curbing their reliance on questions with quick, definitive answers that can be easily copied. These extra resources help students who may have testing environments that they are not accustomed to.

Though the curriculum and grading system used during the past quarters are less effective remotely, teachers should adapt their own curriculum, teaching styles, and weighting systems to help students receive grades that accurately reflect the effort they put into learning. Making such modifications to the letter grading system will counteract the shortcomings of online classes, giving students an education that equals the conventional curriculum.

FOR PASS/FAIL

Due to school closures, students across the country face the challenge of transitioning to remote learning — something both students and faculty are not accustomed to. Due to the limitations of online learning, students will not be able to receive the same quality of assistance from teachers, and they can no longer learn in a classroom environment. Hence, the letter grading system, which was not created to accommodate for online learning spaces, is an unreliable measure of students’ academic performance during this time.

The grading system that most students are advocating for as a replacement to letter grades is the Pass/Fail system. School districts such as the Palo Alto Unified School District have already adopted a variant of the Pass/Fail system — the Credit/No Credit (CR/N) system, wherein students who receive the equivalent of an A, B, or C in a class receive Credit while anything lower counts as No Credit. Typically, CR/N classes do not impact college students’ GPAs and only provide them with credit to fulfill graduation requirements. In a statement of assurance to current high schoolers, University of California schools, California State Universities, the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, and other universities such as Harvard University have agreed that future applicants who receive a Pass/Credit for classes taken in the second semester of the 2019-20 school year will not be impacted, ensuring that a switch to the Pass/Fail system will not harm students’ college admissions.

This new system is necessary, as the physical distance produced by online learning has caused several problems. Rather than being able to answer students’ questions in person during class time, teachers are now responsible for disseminating information individually to students through email in a timely manner. Additionally, discussion-based classes like Foreign Language and English suffer especially. Although video conferencing apps allow teachers to hold discussions and lectures with their students, problems such as network lag deter meaningful discussions. Students cannot be expected to keep up with letter grades without the proper collaboration and immediate feedback that they are used to.

Without the competitive letter grade system, students are also more inclined to prioritize their mental health rather than worry about improving their grades. The Pass/Fail system’s leniency would allow students to cope with this situation without as much academic stress. The constant bombardment of COVID-19 updates can cause stress levels to rise rapidly, and continuing with the use of letter grades would only cause students to become even more overwhelmed.

Although the Pass/Fail system would give students more room for error, students are still encouraged to keep up with their schoolwork in order to prepare for next year’s courses. The various courses that high schoolers are currently enrolled in serve as prerequisites to the classes they will be taking in the 2020-21 school year, giving them incentive to solidify their knowledge despite the Pass/Fail system’s leniency. This system gives students who may be feeling overly anxious or overwhelmed by the situation to have the opportunity to focus on their mental wellbeing.

In such a time of crisis, the Pass/Fail system provides enough leniency for students to adjust to school closures without too much academic pressure, but also enforces a clear standard for how students are expected to perform.

Graphic by Opinion Editor Josephine Chew

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US colleges adopt pass-fail rules, stirring wider reform

Pandemic-driven grading shifts illuminate long-accepted inequities.

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More than 150 US colleges and universities have adopted a pass-fail grading system for the spring semester, a spontaneous reaction to the coronavirus pandemic that could bring fundamental change across higher education.

The overwhelming majority of the institutions have made pass-fail an option, reflecting student concerns that work worthy of a top grade should not be lost in a bid to protect them from the challenges of finishing online.

A smaller share of the institutions − including some of the nation’s  most elite  − have made pass-fail mandatory, aiming to protect less-resourced students suddenly thrust into off-campus situations and traumas that compromise their ability to fully address their studies.

Either way, several advocates said, the crisis-driven policy shifts are helping to illustrate their belief that letter grades need a major overhaul, having long provided a false sense of accuracy and objectivity.

“We’re seeing inequities that were kind of swept under the rug before,” said Laura Gibbs, an instructor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma who has taught in online formats for nearly two decades. “Now they’re clear for all to see, and we’re going to have to do something.”

Beyond the considerable biases associated with letter grades, said Jesse Stommel, a digital learning expert at the University of Mary Washington,  there’s evidence  that they provide  poor signals  to other educators and employers  while reducing  motivation and enjoyment for  students and teachers .

“I would do away with grades altogether,” said Dr Stommel, a senior lecturer in digital studies.

Shortly after US colleges and universities began cancelling in-person classes and moving instruction online to avoid Covid-19 infections, a handful of institutions such as Georgetown University and Carnegie Mellon University announced pass-fail grades as an option.

Dr Gibbs began compiling  a list of them , in a bid to convince her own institution to join. She now counts  more than 140  offering pass-fail as an option and  a dozen , led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , that made the shift mandatory.

In whatever mix of variations, she said, the number of participating institutions seems sure to grow, reflecting wide concern about the quality of online instruction that is being thrown together for the remainder of the spring semester, with virtually no advance warning.

“I think we’re going to see hundreds or thousands by the time this is all done,” Dr Gibbs said.

The  debates within  many institutions have  been intense . At Mary Washington, Dr Stommel said, a student advocating a pass-fail policy compiled a 47-page document containing hundreds of student stories. Dr Stommel said his rough text analysis of it found common words that include “struggle, depression, and of course, GPA.”

“So, you can see this awful position that students are in,” he said.

Harvard University is one of the elites that implemented a  mandatory pass-fail  system, although a survey of students by their Undergraduate Council  favoured a variant  called Double A, in which all grades would be either an A or an A-minus.

The council’s president, James Mathew, a junior in sociology, said that the intent was to avoid diluting anyone’s grade-point average. But,  on reflection , he and others realised it “might even still reflect the different privilege among some of our students”, just as an optional pass-fail policy would do.

And, despite adopting mandatory pass-fail for undergraduates, Harvard has been less clear elsewhere. Its medical school applicants were not allowed to submit pass-fail grades if the applicant’s institution allowed a letter-grade option − a position Dr Stommel called “morally bankrupt”. Harvard then  revised its policy  after questioning by Times Higher Education , but still favoured letter grades “if the option for such grades is offered”.

Among longer-term issues, said David Perry, an academic adviser to history students at the University of Minnesota , institutions need to create systems resilient enough to handle both extended and short-term shutdowns, “without breaking everything the way we are now”.

Individual students also need better emergency options, Dr Gibbs said. Colleges usually have bailout grading policies for students facing a mid-semester crisis, but they are often quite limited and harsh, she said.

“If we’re going to accommodate a whole campus full of students in crisis, why can’t we accommodate individual students in crisis?” Dr Gibbs asked.

But advocates of change should not underestimate the number of places inside and outside of higher education that rely on letter grades, Dr Perry said. They include admissions and transfer policies, graduate and professional programmes, accreditation and financial aid, he said.

“There’s a whole ecosystem based on getting enough A through F grades to then qualify for stuff,” he said. “And that’s going to have to be shifted.”

Getting rid of letter grades entirely isn’t realistic, Dr Stommel said. The goal, he said, should be a broad conversation − with students in a central role − aimed at finding where grades are really necessary, where they are not, and what good alternatives could be created.

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An Unsatisfactory Grading System

Although the fifth Monday of the semester — the last day for students to switch a course to pass-fail — has come and gone, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’s Educational Policy Committee is considering reopening the option to take a course pass-fail after the Undergraduate Council unanimously passed legislation calling for an extension of the deadline.

COVID-19 has killed more than 200,000 Americans and strained every aspect of college life. This is no normal term, and Harvard should embrace flexible policies like extending the option of pass-fail grading in acknowledgment of this, as peer institutions like MIT and Stanford University (among others) have done. We are still coming to terms with what an online, mid-pandemic, (mostly) off-campus semester looks like, and learning how to deal. Harvard should allow students to craft a course-load that best serves their needs as we navigate Zoom classes, studying while living in unexpected conditions and keeping ourselves mentally and physically well in the midst of a pandemic that has required us to radically restructure our lives.

Back in March, we opined in favor of the universal pass-fail policy the University ultimately adopted following the abrupt switch to online classes. Many of the concerns that led us to that decision are still factors now — health challenges, difficult home dynamics, time zone logistics, etc. — and increasing flexibility for students in this certainly chaotic, perhaps apocalyptic, time can only be a good thing.

Further, if the College believes — as we do — that how a course is graded should not affect how enriching the content is or how much a student can learn from it, there is no reason not to allow flexibility to switch between the grading systems.

But this begs a bigger question: if a switch to pass-fail does not affect the material we are taught, the assignments we complete, or the exams we take, then what is the purpose of letter-grading to begin with?

While the reasons a student might need to switch to pass-fail in fall 2020 are numerous, in a typical semester, we often opt for pass-fail grading in a course because we are scared of the grade we would get in it otherwise. As a school full of students who tend towards hyper-competitiveness, the omnipresent pressure to upkeep a near-perfect grade point average has a tremendous impact on how we structure our course loads.

Under the letter-grading system, anything that jeopardizes the objective of reaching and maintaining a high GPA must go. Our campus’s obsession with GPA does nothing to further learning, as we are incentivized to avoid courses that we anticipate will be a challenge or that are out of our comfort zone. This GPA arms race fuels Harvard’s unhealthily competitive underbelly, which threatens to exacerbate the mental health struggles faced by many students. and fosters a toxic, competitive academic environment.

So while we see the UC’s proposal of making pass-fail grading more accessible to students this semester as a temporary, urgent fix, we really ought to use this opportunity to think more broadly about how the assessment of student performance at the College could be more productive and fairer.

There are many ways we hope Harvard might be different when we return ; might our current grading system be one of them?

This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.

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NEB Class 12 Result 2081 Check Via Web, SMS, IVR, USSD

Result 02 Aug 2024 41198 0

How to Check NEB Class 12 Result 2081

NEB Class 12 Result 2081 Check Via Web, SMS, IVR, USSD: The anticipation surrounding the release of Class 12 examination results is a significant moment for students, parents, and guardians across Nepal. The National Examination Board (NEB) of Nepal, through its Examination Control Office located in Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, has established various channels for accessing the results for the year 2081 BS. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of the methods available for checking the Class 12 results, including via IVR, SMS, USSD, and online through the official NEB and Nepal Telecom websites.

Introduction to NEB Class 12 Examination

The National Examination Board (NEB) is the governing body responsible for overseeing the higher secondary education system in Nepal. Each year, the board conducts the Class 12 examinations, which serve as a crucial academic milestone for students aspiring to pursue higher education. The examinations are conducted in accordance with the Letter Grading Directive 2078, which sets the grading standards and criteria.

In 2081 BS (2024 AD), the NEB conducted the Class 12 exams from Friday, April 26, to Monday, May 6. A total of 491,497 students from 5,542 schools participated in the exams, which were held across 1,526 exam centers, including one in Japan. This year, for the first time, the board utilized an automated selection system to determine the exam centers, marking a significant step towards digital transformation in the examination process.

Methods to Check the Class 12 Examination Results

NEB has made it convenient for students to access their results through multiple channels. These methods include IVR, SMS, USSD, and online platforms, each designed to ensure that students and guardians can easily and efficiently obtain the results. Below is a detailed explanation of each method:

1. Checking Results via IVR

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a user-friendly method that allows students to access their results by simply dialing a number. To check the Class 12 examination results via IVR:

• Step 1: Dial 1601 from any Nepal Telecom landline or mobile phone.
• Step 2: Follow the voice instructions provided to enter your examination symbol number.
• Step 3: Your result will be provided audibly.

This method is particularly useful for individuals who prefer verbal communication or those who may not have immediate access to the internet.

2. Checking Results via SMS

The SMS service is a quick and straightforward method to receive your results directly on your mobile phone. Here’s how you can use the SMS service:

• Step 1: Open the messaging app on your mobile phone.
• Step 2: Type "NEB" followed by a space, then enter your examination symbol number.
• Step 3: Send the message to 1600.
• Step 4: You will receive an SMS with your results, including your grades and other relevant details.

This method is ideal for those who want instant access to their results without the need for internet connectivity.

3. Checking Results via USSD

The USSD method is another efficient way to check your results using your mobile phone. This method does not require internet access and can be used by following these steps:

• Step 1: Dial *1600# from your Nepal Telecom mobile phone.
• Step 2: Follow the on-screen instructions to enter your examination symbol number.
• Step 3: Your result will be displayed on your mobile screen.

USSD is an effective method for individuals in areas with limited or no internet access, providing a simple and quick way to access results.

4. Checking Results via the Web

For those who prefer to check their results online, NEB has made the results available on the Nepal Telecom and NEB official websites. To check your results online:

• Step 1: Visit the Nepal Telecom website at https://neb.ntc.net.np .
• Step 2: Enter your examination symbol number and other required details.
• Step 3: Click on the submit button to view your result.
• Step 4: You can download and print your gradesheet or marksheet from the website.

Alternatively, you can visit the NEB official website at https://neb.gov.np to check your results.

This method provides a comprehensive view of your results, including detailed marks and grades, and is ideal for students who need to save or print their gradesheets for future use.

Details about the NEB Class 12 Examination 2080-2081

The NEB Class 12 examination is a pivotal event in the academic calendar, and understanding the key details can help students and guardians navigate the result-checking process more effectively. Here are some important details about the examination:

• Examination Date: The exams were conducted from Baishakh 14, 2081 (April 26, 2024) to Baishakh 26, 2081 (May 08, 2024).
• Examination Time: The exams were held from 8 am to 11 am.
• Number of Students Appeared: A total of 390,847 students appeared for the exams.
• Number of Students for Grade Increment Examination: 100,650 students took the grade increment examination.
• Total Number of Exam Centers: The exams were held across 1,525 centers.
• Result Mode: The results will be published online, accessible via website, SMS, and IVR.
• Result Date: The results are expected to be published in the 3rd week of Shrawan 2081 (August 2024).

Understanding the NEB Grading System

The NEB grading system is based on the Letter Grading Directive 2078, which outlines the criteria for passing and the corresponding grades. According to this directive, students must score at least 35% in the theoretical part of each subject to pass the examination. The grading system is designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of a student’s performance, with grades ranging from A+ to D.

Here is a brief overview of the grading system:

• A+: Exceptional performance
• A: Excellent performance
• B+: Very good performance
• B: Good performance
• C+: Satisfactory performance
• C: Acceptable performance
• D+: Below average performance
• D: Minimum passing grade
• NG: Not Graded (for students who fail to meet the minimum requirements)

This grading system ensures that students are evaluated not just on their ability to recall information, but also on their understanding and application of knowledge.

Tips for Students Awaiting Their Results

Waiting for exam results can be a stressful experience for students. Here are some tips to help manage the anxiety and uncertainty:

• Stay Informed: Keep track of the official announcements regarding the result date and methods of checking the results.
• Keep Your Symbol Number Handy: Ensure you have your examination symbol number readily available to avoid last-minute stress when checking your results.
• Use Reliable Sources: Always use the official NEB and Nepal Telecom websites or the authorized SMS and IVR services to check your results to avoid misinformation.
• Prepare for the Next Step: Whether you pass with flying colors or need to reattempt, be prepared for the next step in your academic journey. Consider exploring various higher education options or preparing for supplementary exams.
• Stay Positive: Remember that exam results are just one part of your academic journey. Regardless of the outcome, stay positive and focus on your future goals.

The NEB Class 12 examination is a crucial stepping stone for students in Nepal, and the methods provided by the National Examination Board to check the results are designed to make the process as accessible and stress-free as possible. Whether you choose to check your results via IVR, SMS, USSD, or online, ensure that you use the official channels to avoid any discrepancies. As you await your results, keep in mind the broader perspective of your academic journey, and prepare yourself for the opportunities that lie ahead.

By understanding the methods of checking the results and being informed about the grading system and other relevant details, students and guardians can navigate this important phase with confidence and clarity.

NEB - National Examinations Board

Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

+977-1-6630848

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