Objections Seen in Eliminating Grades
From Nation's Colleges, Universities
i-.uiior n Note: This is the last in a series of three articles on
ftratlliiK systems and grading experiments in the nation’s
colleges.
By KATHRYN SF.DKRBERG
Collegiate Press Service
If grades are generally acknowledged to be an inadequate measure
of a student s achievement, especially in areas of creativity and
initiative, if they lead to a distortion of the educational process,
replacing Intellectual curiosity with memory cramming and luck, if
their over-emphasis leads to psychological and sometimes actual
illness—then why do not more colleges and universities eliminate or
modify their grading systems in favor of a broader form of evalu
ation?
Two objections persist when discussing the possible elimination of
grades:
• A thorough verbal evaluation, such as that given at Bennington
and Sarah Lawrence is time consuming and expensive. It is feasible
at these two colleges because of the small enrollments and faculties
which are willing to spend the necessary time. As the size of the
college increases, this form of evaluation would become more and
more impracticable.
• Graduate schools tend to insist on the need for grades in deter
mining admission, although some admit that they could reluctantly
learn to do without them. Many of these same graduate schools no
longer issue grades once the student is admitted Most graduate
school have learned to compensate for the variations in computing
grades among various colleges, but they quake in consternation at
the thought of interpreting a multitude of vague evaluations.
A college which changes to a verbal evaluation instead of the
conventional grades ruas the very real risk that its students may be
discriminated against in the competition for graduate school and
other awards, whether such discrimination be intentional or un
intentional.
Lawrence W. Hanlon, M.D , director of admissions, Cornell Uni
versity Medical College, has said: “In my experience with some of
these unusual methods of reporting academic standing, there is
frequently so much uncertainty about a student’s academic ability
that he simply can’t be considered for admission.”
The University of Minnesota’s Louis T. Safer, who conducted a
| recent grading experiment in the university’s general college, reports
| encountering a similar difficulty. General College has tried experi
menting with many types of grading systems over the years, Safer
said, but always it runs into the problem of interpreting the results
within the university framework. How, for instance, are various
unusual evaluations to be interpreted in determining whether a
student has met the requirement for graduation or for transferring
to another college?
Regarding changes in the grading system, the Conference on
College Grading systems noted: "Conversations are still going on;
inquiries are still being received. Much detailed discussion is in
order; research is sorely needed. Some colleges, it is hoped, will
experiment. Grades will not soon be abandoned—but their dominion
is challenged.”
While encouraging further experimentation, two more immediate
steps can be taken to modify the damaging effects of an obsession
with grades:
(1) Grades should be de-emphasized as an end in themselves. They
must be recognized as only one measure of a student’s achievement,
a measure which by itself cannot be the absolute criterion for
rewards and privileges, whether academic or otherwise.
(2) Whenever possible, the cryptic letter grade should be supple
mented with a further evaluation of the student’s strengths and
weaknesses, to offer a more complete picture of his intellectual
growth.
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University Alumni Receive Awards
Three University alumni have
been given bronze medallions for
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Winners of the distinguished
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general manager of the San Jose
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wald K. Burghardt, secretary and
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Montgomery
To Address UO
Business Group
F. F. “Monte” Montgomery,
majority leader of the Oregon
House of Representatives, will
speak on the recent findings on
the Workman’s Compensation Act
in Oregon at 7 p m. Monday in i
the Student Union.
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the future of the state Republi
can Party.
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by Alpha Kappa Psi, professional
business fraternity, and the Uni
versity Insurance Society.
Group to Discuss
Viet Nam Policy
The Faculty-Student Commit- ;j
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urging faculty, students, and
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Debates on such questions as
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withdrawal, leaving the Vietna
mese to determine their own gov
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tion and compromise, with an
American presence maintaining a
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ture?” will be held at 8 p m. to
day in the SU.
The meeting will be aimed at
giving maximum opportunity for
presentation of different points
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