print
Vol. XIII. No. 12
I Wednesday, January 23, 1980
oberts accepts new post
LDenise Kline
hfThe Print
[James Roberts, former
Lociate dean of student ac­
hes, was appointed to suc-
Ld Len Monroe as dean of
Indents at Wednesday’s board
[education meeting.
—,
[Monroe resigned from the
It in December.
[Roberts’ qualifications speak
I themselves. He began at
[College 10 years ago, and
[ worked extensively with
[dent activities as well as
[ancial aid since then.
[During his time with student
Bvites, Roberts was adviser
Part
for the Associated Student
Government. Mitch . Newton,
former ASG senator who was
able to work very closely with
Roberts on several occasions,
has found him to be a “very
understandable and reliable
person, someone students can
depend on.”
When asked how he felt
about the new position, Rober­
ts replied, “1 am really excited
and enthusiastic about this job.
The excitement is equal to that
of my very first teaching job.”
Roberts has many projects
that he would like to work on,
including student retention,. .
enrollment management, and
the guided studies program.
Roberts would like to get these
programs working so that they
will be more beneficial to the
students.
He will be holding a
workshop Thursday and Friday
with student support staff to
establish priorities in areas such
as counseling and financial aid.
Roberts has been involved in
education since 1957 when he
took his first teaching position
at Thorby-Gardner Junior
High, Roberts was with Oregon
City Senior High for eight
years, four of which he served
New dean of students Jim Roberts. Photo by Duffy Cof­
fman.
as vice principal. He then ac-
Don Porter, ASG president,
cepted a position as principal of | expresses some regret in losing
Roberts as an adviser, but says
Molalla High School for three
he is very happy for Roberts in
years before coming to the
College.
his new position .
II
Teachers speak on grading
[Sandy Carter
■The Print
jecond in a series
report
■Last week’s
■lined several con­
fating factors to grade
illation at CCC. Today’s
jury continues in the same
■in, adding a cross section
■typical comments on the
■sent value of specific
tides and grades in
■eral.
[How do teachers feel
lout having to give
■des? Listen:
1’1 think a lot of teachers are
■id that if they give decent
■des no one will take their
■sses.” says Don Epstein,
■ory instructor. “Students
■didn’t take their grades per­
kily. Grades aren’t a reflec-
■' of your moral character,
■your diligence!”
■1 don’t like grading,” says
■Andrews, English instruc-
fenette Unwin, also in
Wish, admits “grading is not
[comfortable process for me.
fat 1 really see as the
Bern,” she says, “is that
■use of the increase in the
fcularity of the psychology of
Be and reward, the tem­
po arises to give good
Besas a motivator.”
K to the ’60s theory of
■acting students’ psyches
■failure, she says, “I think
■ present students are un-
fcred for criticism and less
w to handle constructive
well than when I was
Bihool. Mainly because of
■ lew set of expectations,”
■ says, “they take it per-
fci
rather
than
■mically.”
■ack Adams, College
■‘■or of admissions and
records, concurs: “A lot of
Cressler agrees. “In my
people perceive grades as zoology,” she explains, “I
punitive,” he says, then adds,
always wait to make out a
“but ■ I’m not sure society’s
syllabus until I see who I’ve got
ready to give up grades.”
in the class, in terms of science
From the administration
background. You have to start
standpoint, John Hooley,
where they are.” This is
chairman of humanities and
possible in a class where there
social science, sees an irony in
are less than a dozen students,
instructors’ responses to their
she says.
own periodic evaluations. “In­
terestingly,” he says, “when it
If the basis for grading is not
.comes to teachers’ evaluations, cut and dried, neither is the ac­
the teachers don’t like to be tual definition of the letter
graded.”
grades. Take “A,” for example:
Putting together a clear pic­
—Science’s “A” is mastery of
ture from the fragments is dif­
90 percent of the given
ficult.
material as shown by objective
Adams says that the various
testing.
departments set their own
—Humanities’ “A”- is deter­
grading standards.
mined mostly by subjective
On this, Hooley says, “At
evaluation. (“How do you
times students will gravitate to
judge
creativity?”
asks
the teacher who gives the
Hooley.)
“automatic B,” and the other
—English’s “A”, according to
instructors get their noses out
of joint.” Low enrollment Andrews, is “superduper!”
doesn’t look good on an in­ —English’s “A”, according to
structor’s
evaluation,
so Unwin, is “excellent work, but
teachers within a department not necessarily no errors.”
tend to police each other into
—English’s “A”, when Hooley
relative uniformity, according last taught it five years ago, was
“the work not only done, but
to Hooley.
“Teachers are very nervous showing a higher level of ability
about people telling them how and
intelligence:
that
to grade,” says Shirley ‘something extra!’ ”
Cressler, science instructor, in —History’s “A”, according to
whose department the subject Epstein, means “excellent
matter lends itself to objective work, well thought out in
relationship to the course
evaluation.
Florence Lee, teacher in the requirements, showing a high
same department, says simply, degree of skill in writing and
“An ‘A’ means the student has organization.”
mastered 90 percent of the
Obviously, grading standar­
material,” but a closer look ds vary from division to
reveals some variables, even in division, department to depar­
the clear-cut realm of science. tment, and instructor to instruc­
Admits Lee, “How much you tor. Subject matter may vary
can teach depends a lot on the from class to class or term to
students. You can’t start at term.
Older students (“Our great
point D if they’re back trying to
strength,” savs Hoolev. “Thev
figure out point A.”
Ki
centimeters
Colors by Munsell Color Services Lab 54
take it a little more seriously.”),
generally speaking, do well in
the more intimate relationships
at a community college. Many
young students, unsure of their
path in life, try it and don’t like
it.
mendations all the time, but
that’s where the subjective
evaluation comes in.”
Hooley says flatly, “No. Em­
ployers don’t look at grades. I
think employers are kind of in
tune with grade inflation. At­
Dropouts take the “Ds” and
tendance is more likely to be
“Fs” they would have earned
with them, leaving, for all prac­ something they’re interested
in. ”
tical purposes, a three-point
Unwin questions, “Am I
rather than a five-point grading
being unfair to my students (by
system. Yet “C” remains
recognized as average, except grading traditionally) in the face
by Epstein, who considers it of rising cultural averages?
“the minimum acceptable How will an employer know
that the ‘C’ student may have
grasp of the subject matter.”
earned in my class could be
What can be done? Accor­ worth as much as a JB’
ding to Unwin, “What we need somewhere else?”
Do employers really look at
is a five-point scale on which
grades? Chuck Adams says,
we use all five points.” To her,
the “ideal system” would yield “I’m not convinced that they
a “written description of the ever did.”
“Grades are certainly impor­
students’ abilities.”
tant to theastudents who aim at
Is there an ideal system? professi®fial
schools
or
Hooley says, “If we had a bet­ postgraduate degrees,” he
ter way, we’d be doing it.” But says, “ptR--.even in those cases
according to Epstein, the it’s not 4° .much the grade (or
faculty’s Academic Affairs degree), itself that’s important,
Committee has recommended but the amount of motivation
the adoption of a new grading and determination it indicates.”
system, which would modify
Apparently, the skeleton of
the present five-letter structure. inflated grades is in the CCC
This system could make report family closet, but its presence is
cards more representative of no secret.
actual grade-book averages.
A
haunting
question
The
recommendation, remains: How can CCC shut
discussed at last May’s faculty the door on the specter of
meeting, has not been heard of grade inflation, when the basic
since.
qualities which make a com­
munity college a pleasant place
Given
the
ambiguity to learn also make it a hotbed
surrounding the traditional “A” for “A”s and “B”s?
to “F” grading system, do
grades continue to mean
anything to prospective em­
NEXT WEEK: Student
ployers?
response, and is there still
Cressler responds, “Oh, interest in a new grading
yeah. We get calls tor recom­ system?
'
'CLACKAMAS COMMUNITY
COLLEGE ARCHIVES