Letter grades or an equivalent rating system serve a natural, logical, and perfectly defensible function in evaluation and reporting. (RC)

The various no-grade evaluational options recently introduced on the academic scene are grading in disguise. (Author)

There is increasing protest regarding the validity and usefulness of current methods of evaluating students' abilities and achievements. With higher education accessible to the masses, increased competition for college, graduate school, and good jobs has made the attainment of "good grades" more important than ever. Yet the appearance of…

Traditional grading was replaced with the Honors-Pass-Fail (H-P-F) grading system in graduate education courses at Herbert H. Lehman College in the fall 1971 semester. The purpose of that action was to determine if the H-P-F system might differentiate more effectively between exceptional and average student achievement. The general findings of the…

This study was designed to ascertain a) the distribution of student teaching letter grades in 29 Iowa teacher education institutions from 1967-70; b) the predictive value of student teaching letter grades held by superintendents; and c) the preference of Iowa superintendents concerning the present letter grade and recommendation system versus the…

There has been sufficient experience with non-punitive grading to identify at least two principles that underlie its uniqueness and educational merit. These principles are (1) accumulated competence and (2) sufficient consequence. By contrasting non-punitive grading with the traditional grading system, these principles become distinctly apparent.…

Discusses a recent survey on grading practices in legal education, with particular emphasis on clinical instruction. The author believes that pass/fail grading is not adequate for clinical experiences and suggests ways in whichh to implement more precise evaluating methods. (PG)

The article describes a recent survey by a committee of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), which attempted to determine the current attitudes of various private schools toward pass/fail grading. While there have been no concrete results as yet, the committee will continue to gather information. (Author/JB)

A large number of medical schools have discontinued the use of letter and number grades and have adopted pass-fail or honors-pass-fail grading systems. The relationship of academic performance with the selection of first-year residents for a university-based program in internal medicine is examined. (MLW)

The Common Core State (or other rigorous) Standards (CCSS) being implemented by states across the nation are prompting school leaders and teachers to seek ways to move the standards into classroom instruction, assignments and assessments. Schools wanting to ensure that student work meets grade-level standards are using differentiated instructional…

Communications to college students about the value of their composition are better expressed in words than in letter grades. Research by Sweet and Seidman suggests that free-style, positive comment on student papers produces a markedly improved attitude toward writing. The author's own research reveals that in the presence of positive, free…

This research study, undertaken across a department, presents the results of two focus groups in which twenty undergraduate students offer their views on participation assessment and its underlying goal of student engagement. Barriers to fairly assessing participation are discussed along with their solutions. Assessing participation, though, isn't…

At the Medical College of Wisconsin, a procedure was developed to allow computerized grading and grade reporting of laboratory practical examinations in the Clinical Human Anatomy course. At the start of the course, first year medical students were given four Lists of Structures. On these lists, numbered items were arranged alphabetically; the…

This article presents pragmatic information on teaching early childhood teacher candidates how to assess children's inquiry process skills. The authors list three important steps in choosing inquiry skills. They generated behavioral indicators for each inquiry skill, and designed an assessment rubric using number grading or a…