Faculty senate approves new grading system for Spring 2020
Faculty senate voted this afternoon to approve a new grading structure for the spring semester. Courses will still be graded, but students have the option of making two courses pass/fail within 10 days of receiving the final grades.
Grades must be posted by May 28 at 5pm. Students must consult with their advisors before switching to pass/fail. The motion passed with 34 of 42 senators voting in favor of the new structure.
The administration has considered changing the grading policy after shifting courses online for the entirety of the spring semester due to the coronavirus pandemic. Several universities have let students change all of their courses to pass/fail, and others have made it mandatory that all courses are pass/fail.
The report to faculty senate explains Calvin’s system as a middle ground, allowing relief for struggling students while maintaining the motivation of a letter grade. A D- or higher will count as passing.
Recently, a student-led petition circulated among campus, asking that all courses shift to pass/fail. The petition got over 1400 signatures.
Student senate President Emerson Silvernail said that the committee, chaired by political science Professor Micah Watson and President Michael Le Roy were receptive of student input and were aware of the petition.
“While this was not our preferred solution, we understand that there are a variety of interests to consider right now,” Silvernail said. “What mattered most to me personally is that the administration did not wait any longer to make a decision.”
According to Silvernail, student senate ideally wanted the student body to have the option to make all of their courses pass/fail, an opinion he voiced in the faculty senate meeting where the vote took place. Student senate does not have any voting power in faculty senate.
According to Watson, there was disagreement in the committee over the final plan: some thought it was too strict; others thought it gave students too much leeway. Watson noted that mandatory pass/fail classes would be disadvantaging to students in the health sciences looking to apply to graduate school.
“We know some students will be unhappy with this, but they should know that we as a faculty want them to finish this semester strong. We want this grade to mean something and be something to take pride in,” Watson said.
This story has been updated with quotes and additional information.
Sherry Lambert • Apr 9, 2020 at 4:43 pm
Would the pass/fail count towards a required class for a Major? Or would they have to take the class again?
Mabel Uhl • Apr 8, 2020 at 8:33 pm
What exactly does a pass mean for GPA? Is it an automatic 4.0 or not graded at all?
Abby • Apr 8, 2020 at 6:43 pm
How would the pass/fail system affect students who need to maintain a certain GPA to keep financial aid options?
Bianca Bouzas • Apr 8, 2020 at 5:41 pm
Professor Watson, this is so disappointing to hear. If it is going to be marked as satisfactory then students should not be required to retake the class. The point of switching to a pass fail system is so that students can move on, and continue their education while not having this affect their GPA or have them retake a class. Your comment and review of this policy contradicts this. Therefore it can be concluded that Calvin has not been proactive and thoughtful throughout this process. Please don’t take this personally, but this just shows the underlying problems of Calvin and why students choose other colleges and Universities or choose to transfer. So sad.
Richard Bouma • Apr 8, 2020 at 3:43 pm
Neither faculty nor students nor parents signed up for a deal where Calvin would try to conduct courses using unfamiliar electronic modes of communication.
The limited pass-fail relief that Professor Watson describes makes it look like students and parents are still left to bear significant bad-grade risk arising out of a situation they did not create.
We hope that Calvin faculty will consider carefully the bad consequences to students of awarding bad grades, particularly to students who are struggling right along with teachers to make the best of a bad situation.
Lee Travis • Apr 8, 2020 at 2:49 pm
Can you clarify this for me. So if you get at C or better in a Core or Prerequisite course, and you elect to S/U option, is the letter grade requirement still satisfied? The situation would be that a a student got a C, but didn’t want it to hit their GPA. Thanks.
Lee Travis • Apr 8, 2020 at 2:34 pm
So for a structured major like Engineering where nearly all classes are prerequisite or core, does this policy do anything at all?
Aaron Bos • Apr 8, 2020 at 12:30 pm
So how would a pass fail class influence our GPA?
Jeremy Chang • Apr 8, 2020 at 10:24 am
Professor Watson,
Does this then make this grading option obsolete for seniors who are trying to graduate this semester as changing a class to P/F might not allow them to graduate?
Micah Watson • Apr 8, 2020 at 9:13 am
Trevor, this is where the policy is a little complex, and why students are required to talk with their adviser before converting a class to P/F (or, in Calvin’s system, S/U, or satisfactory/unsatisfactory).
A “D-” or better is considered passing for the purposes of a class counting toward your graduation hours. But the regular grade requirements for a prerequisite or for Core are still in place. For example, you need to get a C in Written Rhetoric for it to count as fulfilling that Core requirement. If a student were to earn a D in Written Rhetoric and wanted to avoid that hit on her GPA, she could convert the grade to S/U after grades were turned in, but she would still need to take Written Rhetoric again to satisfy the Core requirement. Same thing for, say, a math prerequisite. So it’s really important for students to think hard about using this option and consult advisers so as to make a fully informed decision.
Trevor Nieuwenhuis • Apr 7, 2020 at 8:45 pm
If we were to use the pass/fail option on a certain class, what would be considered passing? Anything above an F or would that be raised? Let me know. Thanks!