Faculty debates EAC recs

Author: Thomas C. Drescher

An assortment of faculty members met on Tuesday afternoon in Kenyon Lounge to discuss three Educational Affairs Committee (EAC) recommendations designed to combat grade inflation at the College. The recommendations were crafted by the EAC's Ad Hoc Committee on Grading and will require an affirmative vote by the faculty to pass, pending further deliberation.

The first recommendation calls for the elimination of the "A+" grade. This adjustment in grading would not alter GPA calculations - both "A+" and "A" are valued at 4.0 - and would hypothetically bring about a general shift in the grading scale. In theory, this would entail an increase in the number of lower grades submitted, and since "A" would be the highest possible grade, "A-" the second highest, and so on, students would come to appreciate a "B" as they now appreciate a "B+."

Assistant Professor of Physics Noah Graham said he doubted the efficacy of such a minor alteration, and observed that it seems at odds with other initiatives, considering that the EAC acknowledges an aggregate increase in "academic skillfulness" among Middlebury students as one partial explanation for grade inflation. Faculty members in favor of the recommendation conceded that there is no empirical evidence to support the proposed "A+" elimination.

Truscott Professor of Chinese Studies John Berninghausen stood behind the recommendation, noting that the Chinese Department has already abolished the "A+." He also commented that effort-based grading - a phenomenon which can be traced back to secondary school and beyond - has exacerbated grade inflation.

A second, related EAC recommendation proposes the incorporation of a "commendation" system modeled after Dartmouth College's citation system, which as been in place for 40 years. Under this system, faculty members would be able to recognize students for particularly outstanding academic achievements independent of final grades by filling out commendation cards. These commendations would become part of students' permanent records, and, according to supporters of the proposal, would be superior to the "A+" in terms of flexibility, transparency and ameliorating grade inflation. Administrators present at the meeting voiced concerns that the new system would present an "administrative hassle," since commendations would have to be processed along with transcripts.

Meeting attendees briefly considered a third recommendation which would allow for the readjustment of the numerical values assigned to letter grades to create a more equitable GPA scale. "A-" would be worth 3.67, "B+" would be worth 3.33, "B-" 2.67, and so on. This recommendation met with no dissent, and, if approved, will take affect next fall, so some students will have a mixture of grades from both the old and new scales.

Curt C. and Else Silberman Professor of Jewish Studies Robert Schine spoke briefly about an EAC-endorsed proposal for the structural solidification of a Jewish Studies Minor. Schine explained the duties of the program coordinator ­- to supervise curriculum and oversee an abundance of lectures and symposia - and emphasized that the proposal is only giving official structure to program that has already been in place for years. He said that the minor will operate in much the same way as the African American Studies and American Studies minors, among others.

Wonnacott Commons Dean Matt Longman made a brief appearance to explain the significance of the "Failure or D Report" - a form that must accompany a faculty member's submission of a failing grade. Longman and others outlined a series of proposed changes to the form. A number of the attendees said the reports are often viewed by the faculty as an attempt to forcibly solicit justification for the submission of a low grade, or as a way of deterring low grade submission. Taking this into account, those who helped draft the new form agreed to make additional adjustments in order to make clear its purpose as a purely "informational" document.