II'

To: Senate

From: Registrar

Subject: PROPOSED GRADING SYSTEM

April 2.5, 1966

AT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

To Proposed Grading System papers are attached:

Paper C) - I was approved by the Faculties of Science and

Education

2) Paper C)

2 was presented by the Faculty of Arts as an

amendment to paper C) - 1.

The two papers are now presented for the consideration of Senate.

D. P. Robertson

I-L-1

•A1/

President's Committee on

Examination

• '

Grading and Scholastic Standings.

PROPOSED GRADING SYSTEM AT SF11 '

'March 28, 1966.

1•

A. Gradig Scale -

•

Letter Grade

Pts. for Internal Use

Pts. for 'External Use

A+,

'•

4.0

•

B.:

B+

3.5

3.0

, 30''

.....'3.0

•

2.5

2.0

C-

2.0

•

1.5

2.0

'••

1.0'

1.0

Def.

0•

•'

Instructors would submit letter grades from Column 1. The Registrar would convert

1:0

Columns 2 and 3. Columns 1 and 3 would appear on the student's statement of

marks. Column 2 would be a "private" calculation to provide to the SFU Scholarship

four

and Awards

categories

Committee

used in

each

Column

semester

a list which makes finer

distinctIons

than the

_Questions:

•

. , (a) Why not just use Column 2? The Committee was of the opinion that the use of

•

Column 2 rrjflSjdCt; and Column 3 "Outside" satisfied both sides on the contro-

versy

to the

over

stude

the

degree

if all faculty

of exactitude

strive

possible

to use the

full

marking.

range

grades

it does

available

no damage

knowing that the fine structure of grade points is only for

internal

purposes.

* The letter grade, Def., will be given when a physician's certificate or other

•

document substantiating a' request' for a deferment on medical or compassionate

grounds is received by the Registrar within four days of the' date on which the

examination was to have been written and when such deferment'is agreed to by

the instructor involved. The Def. grade may be removed when a new grade is

•

established; the

method

of establishing the new grade is a matter between the

instructor and the Registrar. .

• .

** The letter grade N is given when a student registered for a course and did not

•

write the examination and did not withdraw before the set date.' An

is con-

sidered an F for purposes of scholastic

standing.

-2-

5M c//

-2-

While some fine structure is essential for the purposes of the Scholar-

ship and Awards Committee the four point scale is certainly the most

commonly used in North America and there appears to be some virtue in

•

helping our students to appear reasonably "normal" on their transcripts.

(b) Will it not be

uzzwith

lip-

the

—to

same

students

grade poLnts

as well

as a

as others if a

To some degree, it may be puzzling, but no more so than that the very

same thing occurs under

every

conceivable system of grading except per-

centage points or some similar ultra-fine structure. All this proposal

With

does

5(A+)

is draw

which

attent

would

ion

not

this

be possible

ossibility

with

and

mere

give

A's.

a lift

In addition,

to the

student

the

man

list.

with

(A+) does appear ahead of the man with

5(A)

on the Scholarship

B. A grade point avera

e is computed by the Registrar by dividing the total

number of grade points by the total number of semester hours.

•

Example:

• Letter Grade

Numerical

Semester

Grade Point

Value

Hours

Course 1

Course 2

A+

Course 3

B-

Course 4

Course

Grade Point Average 39

2.44

•C.

Standings for the Semester

The Committee recommends that no rigid determination be made of the grade

average required for First Class

point

, Second Class and Pass

Standing

at this time.

The Committee recommends that for the time being the

cholarship and Awards

•

Committee determine for its own purposes and for the purposes of government

awards what the cut-off points are for each semester.

D. Credit for the Semester

The

student

Committee

egardless

recommends

of the

that

standi

any

semester

in the course,

hours credit

or number

gained

be granted to the

•

the grade point average.

courses passed, or

•

• E. Standings re

uired for Continuance at the University

•

The

2.0

Committee

be placed

ecommends that students

eceiving a grade point average lass than

n"probation" and that further action to be taken in such cases be

•

determined by the Senate Committee on Admissions and

Standings.

3.-

F. Standings Recuired for Graduation

The Committee recommends that the minimum

equirement for graduation be a

grade point average of 2.0 computed on the courses used for credit towards

the degree, and in addition there may be further requirements established

by departments for their major and honors program.

C. The Committee was asked by the Committee of Heads to make a

recommendation

regarding the re-writing of papers. The Committee recommends that, except

in the case of a Def. grade, a student not be allowed to re-write (or write,

in the case of receiving an N grade) a paper unless he re-registers for the

course and participates in the course as required by the instructor.

Respectfully submitted,

C. L. Bursjll-Hall (Sub. B.E. Newton)

R. Coombes - Secretary

P. Copes

R.J.C. Harper

K. E. Rieckhoff

D. P. Robertson*- Chairman

S. Stratton

D. G. Tuck

(

STo: Senate

Paper No. 3C) - 2

411

cSD1

A/t/

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE GRADING SYSTEM PROPOSED BY THE PRESIDENT'S CO?IITTEE

ON EXAMINATION GRADING AND SCHOLASTIC STANDING.

Amendment 1 : It is proposed that Columns 1 and 2 of the Committee's proposal be

changed to read as follows

Letter Grade

Pts. for Internal Use

4.33 (or 4.3)

4.0

A-

3.66 (or 3.7)

3.33

(or 3.3)

•

3.0

•

B-

2.66

(or 2.7)

C+

2.33

(or 2.3)

2.0

C-

1.66

(or 1.7)

1.33

(or 1.3)

•

D-

0:66

(or 0.7)

Def*

(Col. 3: same)

The letter grade, Def., will be given when a physician's certificate or other

document substantiating a request for a deferment on medical or compassionate

grounds is received by the Instructor within four days of the date on which

the examination was to have been written. The Def. grade may be removed when

new grade is established; the method of establishing the new grade is a

matter between the instructor and the Registrar.

** The letter grade N is given when a student registered for a course and did not

write the examination and did not withdraw before the set date. An N is con.-

sidered an F for purposes of scholastic standing.

Amendment 2:

Add the letter grade I (Incomplete) to Column 1, making it a grade

to be given at the discretion of the teacher and to be converted

automatically into an F (by the Registrar) after an allotted period

of time.

(Passed by the Faculty of Arts at its meeting

of April 21, 1966)

April 25, 1966