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Description
Universities across the United States have been using the Pass/Fail grading system for a variety of reasons and in many different ways. There are so many uses of the system as there are universities.
In general, universities have used the Pass/Fail grading system to: help reduce stress and pressure on students; provide more flexibility in course selection and encourage students to explore and pursue interest without fear of damaging their GPA; reduce perceived discrimination and bias in grading, providing more equitable opportunities for all students regardless of race, socioeconomic status or prior academic background; and to improve retention rates by reducing the risk of failing a course and being unable to complete a degree or program. The case is made for a Pass/Fail grading system and suggested options are identified.
Publication Date
Spring 2023
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Publisher
Eastern Illinois University
City
Charleston, IL
Keywords
Alternative grading, EIU Think Tank, +/- grading system, retention, equity
Disciplines
Higher Education
Recommended Citation
Abebe, Teshome and Gillespie, Michael, "The Strategic Application of Alternative Grading to Improve Retention and Enhance Equity (Spring 2023)" (2023). EIU Think Tank Reports and White Papers. 1.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/think_tank_reports/1
