Re: [MATHEDCC] Pass-Fail grades

Margaret Overbey (OVERBEM@DBCC.CC.FL.US)
Tue, 09 Feb 1999 11:47:59 -0500

At Daytona Beach Community College, we've gone one step further than Ivy =
Tech-Kokomo. We also found that students earning C's in College Prep =
courses were unlikely to be successful in subsequent courses. Now, our =
students must earn a B or higher before they can progress to the next =
course in the College Prep sequence (B=3D80%). The grades in college =
prep math courses are A, B+, B and F, no C's or D's. Additionally we give =
students one opportunity to retake a test when they score below 80% on a =
particular test. Students can earn a maximum score of 80% on retake =
tests, so we don't feel that we're inflating their grades. Our retention =
rates have increased since we started this policy.

Margaret Overbey
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Daytona Beach Community College
Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2811
(904) 947-5465
overbem@dbcc.cc.fl.us

>>> Brad Thurmond <bthurmon@IVY.TEC.IN.US> 2/9/99 10:46:56 AM >>>

We've done the same thing here at Ivy Tech-Kokomo. Students with a D in
MAT 050 - Basic Algebra - have very little chance in MAT 111 - Intermediate=

Algebra. For years we informed students in MAT 050 at the begining of the
course that they needed a C to go on to MAT 111. Many slipped by.
Recently we changed the grading scale to A B C F, no D's allowed. That
seems to have helped some.=20

Brad

At 03:42 PM 2/8/99 -0500, you wrote:
>I would like to reiterate Geoff's remarks that grades seem to be more
>motivating to students and help them know better where they are in
>preparation for the next course. However, I would like to suggest that =
only
>A-C grades be given as passing. We've been doing that at our institution
>for a while after we discovered that students who received D's would =
still
>try to take the next course and not have a prayer of passing. This did
>increase our attrition from the developmental courses but it seemed to =
help
>things at the college algebra level.
>
>Sandy Spears
>Jefferson Community College
>Louisville, KY 40202
>sspears@pop.jcc.uky.edu=20
>502-584-0181, ext. 2269

Bradley H. Thurmond
Program Chair, Mathematics, Life and Physical Science
Ivy Tech State College - Region 5
1815 E. Morgan St.
Kokomo, IN 46901
(765) 459-0561, Ext. 378
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