Compared to other subjects, the typical introductory programming (CS1) course has higher than usual rates of both failing and high grades, creating a characteristic bimodal grade distribution. In this article, I explore two possible explanations. The conventional explanation has been that learners naturally fall into populations of programmers and…

As part of the ongoing education reform initiated by the Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB), Liberal Studies will become a compulsory subject in senior secondary schools in 2009. It will be one of the core subjects all students must take, besides English, Chinese and Mathematics. Some of the objectives of the subject include cultivating critical…

First year students' academic performance in three Life Science courses (Botany, Zoology and Bioscience) was compared. Pass rates, as well as the means and distributions of final marks were analysed. Of the three components (coursework, practical and theory examinations) contributing to the final mark of each course, students performed best in the…

This study examined the benefits and difficulties that graduate student teachers perceived while participating in online collaborative group activities during their first year of a masters program. Overall, it was discovered that the three most prominent perceived learning outcomes involved 1) the teachers' recognition of the value of a supportive…

In 1989, the previously autonomous Melbourne (Australia) College of Advanced Education was incorporated into the existing Universiy of Melbourne Faculty of Education to form a new faculty, the Institute of Education. A grading procedure was developed at the Institute of Education to incorporate the College of Advanced Education's long tradition of…

Addressing the trend in American colleges and universities to award constantly higher grades each year, New College of Hofstra University has been studying the grading patterns over the past years. Grades awarded during the academic year 1975-76 have not changed significantly. They remained at B level. The percent of grades in each grade category…

Law schools traditionally have relied on the undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) and the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) to determine admission policies. The adoption by an increasing number of colleges and universities of pass-fail grading systems has some implications for the law school admission process. This statement examines some of the…

Traces the history of grading and discusses the complex problem of evaluation and grading of student achievement. Reviews the various reference measures and notes the type of functions grades are supposed to serve. Cites seven alternatives to traditional grading. Concludes that "grades are the tail that wags the dog." (BRR)

The results of a retrospective study of the psychiatry residency classes entering the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine between 1970 and 1975 show no significant difference in performance evaluations between residents in the graded and pass/fail groups. The two cohorts received almost identical overall grades. (JMD)

This study examined graduate student attitudes towards letter and pass/fail grading systems in the Law School and the School of Education in a selective university in the United States. Fifty-four students completed a questionnaire on goal orientations (ability comparison vs. mastery), amount of effort and stress in each of the two grading…

The author believes grades should be awarded for achievement of stated goals -- not for attendance, effort, self-concept improvement, or conflict avoidance. In a companion article, Neil Postman offers a different view. (Editor)

The speaker describes the El Paso approach to grade reports. The district has several different methods of reporting student progress. They include report cards every six weeks, an interim progress report for students who are doing unsatisfactory work or work that is not as good as could be expected, and parent conferences. (IRT)

Why do grades have to be given at all? (JH)