Plus Minus Grading

David Lai

The issues surrounding grading systems continue to be a highly debated topic in higher education. One central issue is whether schools and students are better served by the adoption of a plus minus grading system.

In a case study conducted by Andrew Bressette, Bressette presents four central arguments for the instatement of a plus minus grading system: “reduced grade inflation, better differentiation among students, increased student motivation, and enhanced image of grades and an undergraduate degree.” The problem with Bressette’s statement is that only the first two results can be statistically validated, and still the effects show variation by school. In addition, his paper fails to address the inherent drawbacks associated with this system.

According to an extensive study conducted by Michael Frank and Linda Feeney – which utilized a much larger data set – “ the introduction of plus minus grading had no affect on the average grades assigned by faculty…Further, the form of the overall grade distribution did not change throughout the three semesters of comparison.”

To Bressette’s point regarding increased student motivation, an empirical study performed by James McClure showed that “the choice of plus/minus grading had no statistically significant influence upon the percentage of total points earn during a semester.”

However, the largest problem with a plus minus grading scheme is the lack of incentive on the high end. While ‘B’ and ‘C’ students can potentially reap the benefits of this system, exemplary students can only be penalized due to the lack of an ‘A+’ grade. It’s unjust to subject the hardest working students to more intense scrutiny then the remaining student population. Maintaining the current, straight grading scale may not help reduce the grade inflation problem, but at least it provides fair means of evaluation for ALL students.