Pass/no pass grading yields varying results

Long a contested topic among students and professors alike,
pass/no pass grading has once again become a topic of conversation
as its fall deadline approaches.

Students first hear about this option in summer orientation
where their counselors explain that the pass/no pass grading option
is designed to allow students the opportunity to explore classes
outside their area of expertise while still allowing them to get
credit for their work.

A student who wishes to take a class outside of an area in which
he or she is knowledgeable may feel some of the pressure relieved
when they know they need to pass the class with a C, rather than
strive to get an A.

Samantha Markovich, a fourth-year communication studies student,
can relate. Markovich will be taking a Spanish class under the
pass/no pass option next quarter.

She believes that while learning Spanish is a priority for her,
it is definitely not a requirement for her to graduate. But,
keeping up in her communication studies classes is.

Markovich said while learning Spanish is a valuable asset,
especially in California, learning it will not make up for poor
grades come graduation.

“As far as graduation and my major, I don’t need
[the Spanish class], so I want to be able to focus on my
communication classes and take Spanish for my own personal
enrichment,” she said.

Many instructors seem to subscribe to a similar logic regarding
this grading option. The idea is not that the student will do less
work once enrolled under this option, but that the student will
have to deal less with psychological stress that comes with knowing
they are working for a letter grade, instructors say.

Edgar Jurado, a Spanish department teaching assistant, says that
in his experience, students do not utilize this option because they
want to do less work, but rather because they don’t have
confidence in what they’re learning.

A graduate student himself, Jurado said when he takes language
classes, he sometimes takes them pass/no pass simply because it
eliminates some of the pressure.

And while eliminating undue pressure on students is precisely
the reason pass/no pass is offered to students, some are skeptical
about the system’s effectiveness.

Concerns range from the idea that a student who works hard may
not be fully recognized for it, to the fact that, though it does
not adversely affect grade point average, it may not be the most
desirable mark on transcripts for graduate school.

Most immediately though, some instructors question whether it
actually removes pressure from the student.

John Aurnou, an assistant professor in the earth and space
sciences department, statistically analyzed the rate of passing
students taking his class pass/no pass versus those taking the
class for a letter grade.

In his introduction to oceanography class, pass/no pass students
had a significantly higher “no pass” rate than those
taking the class for a letter grade.

Aurnou said even when factoring in students who received a C- or
D ““ both grades that are still passing for those with a
letter grade but not for those taking a class pass/no pass ““
the difference was still substantial.

While many students may like the fact that a D is still passing,
others assume they will receive at least a C and would rather keep
the specific grade to themselves.

Students who wish to utilize the pass/no pass option may take up
to 10 units of pass/no pass per term, provided they have not taken
any the previous quarter.

The student must be in good standing and once a class is taken
for a grade it may not be repeated on a pass/no pass basis.

There is no pass/no pass grading option for classes taken to
meet a student’s major requirement. The deadline to opt for
the pass/no pass grading system is Friday of sixth week.