Beyond CDs: Student Survey Report and Senate Co-Chairs’ Perspective
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Thank you to all of the students who participated in the survey on the Union Grading policy last December. The potential for a change in our grading system – moving away from the CD-CR-MC-NC system that we currently use to one without CDs – was discussed at the November faculty meeting, and the Student Senate Executive Committee felt it was important that students’ voices were also included in this conversation. For this reason, we put forth a survey to the student body in December, polling students about the issue and offering an open-ended question to express additional thoughts and feelings.
We understand that this topic has generated much discussion and debate. For the greater majority of us, grading has been intimately connected to our lives as students. From the gold stars we were given in pre-school, the stickers on handouts in elementary school, the letter grades on report cards, class rankings, and the standardized test scores that helped us enter higher education, we have all had some type of relationship with grades. For many of us, these relationships with grades are deeply personal. And for this reason, it is with the utmost care and concern that we will hold your opinions and personal stances with respect to the conversation currently taking place surrounding Union’s grading policy.
Report of Survey Results
Students in favor of keeping CDs cite further academic study and mark of accomplishments as main reasons. Students in favor of removing CDs cite a desire for more holistic learning and lessening of pressure.
Image Description: Pie Graph of Survey Results on Student Opinions on Union Grading Policy
Those who are in favor of keeping grades shared many reasons why they felt it was important to maintain our current system. Many voiced that Union students pursuing PhD programs (or other types of degree programs) need to demonstrate that they have excelled in their academic work. Some stated that since Union does not use traditional A-F grades, they are already at a disadvantage because the system that uses CDs is ambiguous and confusing to other institutions. Not only would removing CDs further complicate their PhD applications, but it would also damage Union’s reputation of being academically rigorous. Some professors who previously sat on PhD admissions committees at other institutions acknowledged that the grades of students are significantly taken into account when deciding who and who not to accept.
Students wishing to maintain the current grading system explained that CDs are important because they distinguish academic excellence. They pour their hearts into their work, spending countless hours on assignments, stretching themselves beyond their previous capabilities to acquire new vistas of awareness and perception, in order to produce meaningful work that will make an impact on the world. CDs not only recognize this effort but affirm that a student is excelling and meeting the highest standards. Achieving CDs validates their work and gives them the confidence to take on new challenges within their communities, and to step into their calling of leadership.
Certainly, these are not all of the points made by those who do not want any changes made to the current grading system; however, we have done our best to put forth an adequate representation of them.
We would now like to highlight points made by those who would rather switch to a pass-fail system, or one that at least removes CDs. One of the key points made by this group of students highlighted how grading influences the culture of our seminary. Some stated that they would prefer a more holistic learning environment that enhanced their faith formation and spiritual discernment. Grades, they stated, are antithetical to that because they cause a great deal of stress, competitive learning environment, and fixation on grades rather than actual learning. Moreover, some shared that there are inconsistent standards for CDs from professor to professor, and that grading itself is highly subjective. Switching to a pass-fail system would create a more democratic classroom where students of all learning types and academic backgrounds are valued.
Co-Chairs Encourage a Shift Towards Pass-Fail System
Research shows that grades disrupt students’ motivation, performance, and mental health. Further, they exacerbate inequalities, ableism, and capitalistic behavior in educational spaces. The co-chairs support shifting towards a pass-fail system, which has already shown remarkable improvement in the quality of student lives at other institutions.
We are grateful for everybody’s honesty and candor in this process. While we have shared the raw data from this survey with faculty and administration, it is important for us, as the co-chairs of Student Senate, to state that we are not unbiased in this debate. We very strongly side with the students that would like to remove CDs from the grading system, and we would like for Union to move to an explicit pass-fail system. Furthermore, we are against an opt-in system where some students could choose to take their courses pass-fail or to seek grades, since we feel that this would ultimately cause division in the classroom and still put pressure on students to opt-in to the grading system with CDs. We take this position as students who are also hoping to gain admittance into PhD programs, because we want to emphasize that not all non-terminal degree students at Union are in favor of keeping CDs.
Grades Impact Quality of Learning
The body of research done surrounding grades and motivation strongly supports a shift away from traditional grading systems. Grades operate like any classic punishment and rewards system. For an eager middle-schooler, an A+ can bring a beautiful amount of pride and confidence to their life; but it also encourages them to repeat the very behaviors that earned that letter, even if it means sacrificing sleep or time with friends. And on the other hand, what if you receive a less-than-stellar grade, or even a failing grade? As much as many have derived satisfaction from grades, many have also become discouraged or insecure in their intellectual abilities due to poor grades. From a young age, our self-worth and perception of potential is tethered to a subjective letter originating from an archaic system. Whether we like it or not, we have normalized evaluations as a natural part of life, forgetting to question its function in our constantly changing environment.
According to Alfie Kohn, who lectures widely at universities and has published extensively on the topic of grading, decades of research support three primary findings on how grades have been shown to diminish the quality of work over time. In his article, “The Case Against Grades,” Kohn cites several studies which demonstrate that reward systems cause students to 1) become less interested in learning, 2) choose the easiest possible task when offered a choice, and 3) reduce the quality of their thinking. There is an inverse relationship between a “grading orientation” and a “learning orientation,” meaning that grades negatively impact a student's natural curiosity and intrinsic motivation. Rather than incentivizing us to strive for excellence, merit-based systems ultimately condition us to think more robotically, removing the imagination and innovation we would ideally associate with learning.
Grades Negatively Impact Narrative Feedback
What has been nearly universally expressed by students at Union is a desire for consistent and critical feedback from our professors, especially in the narrative reports that we receive at the end of each term. But further research shows that in order for narrative feedback to be most useful, it must be completely separated from a grading system. According to Kohn who cites Maja Wilson, “When comments and grades coexist, the comments are written to justify the grade.” Additionally, in her article “Enhancing and undermining intrinsic motivation: The effects of task-involving and ego-involving evaluation on interest and performance,” Ruth Butler points out that grades and grades with comments have an undermining effect on the value of any type of narrative or qualitative feedback that is given.
Grades Privilege Certain Kinds of Knowing and Learning
Furthermore, grades are ableist. Like all systems of evaluation, there is a standard: the A+. But we must question who has defined that standard, and has it ever been refined to accommodate the changing demographic of our world and student body? Students come to Union for a justice-oriented education, but our current system conforms to an outdated system with little to no understanding of different ways of knowing and learning. It gives a foothold to what Audre Lorde referred to as the “total denial of the creative function of difference in our lives.” The tactic of divide and conquer, Lorde argues, is one of the master’s tools. It should have no place at Union. Lorde goes on to say,
Within the interdependence of mutual (non-dominant) differences lies that security which enables us to descend into the chaos of knowledge and return with true visions of our future, along with the concomitant power to affect those changes which can bring that future into being. Difference is the raw and powerful connection from which our personal power is forged.
Our community is filled with a diverse and rich range of abilities and experiences; and yet, our qualitative capabilities are expected to succeed and be represented under one quantitative scale.
Towards a Pass-Fail System
Moving towards a true pass/fail system, we argue, would level the playing field by providing students with different academic backgrounds with an equitable opportunity to excel. By discontinuing our hyperfixation on evaluations, students at Union can rediscover their love for learning, exploration, and critical questioning. In a perfect world, students could propose creative projects and assignments that encourage them to think outside the ivory tower while still engaging the theologies and critical theories that make our seminary world-renowned. We could incorporate more experiential and embodied learning, finding novel ways to critique our current institutions and imagine new ones.
Other institutions have already made this shift. In their article “Pass-Fail grading: laying the foundation for self-regulated learning,” published in the academic journal Advances in Health Sciences Education, University of Michigan Medical School professors Casey B. White and Joseph C. Fantone describe the positive effects of such a change at their institution. The intention of such a change was to better cultivate students who will be lifelong learners, staying abreast with new developments and techniques in the field of medicine. At University of Michigan Medical School, all first- and second-year academic classes switched from traditional letter grades to a “Satisfactory/Fail” scheme. Not only did this cause no statistically significant change in test scores on their USMLE Step 1 exams, but on a scale of 1-5, 232 students rated their satisfaction with the pass-fail system a 4.76/5, while they rated their satisfaction with traditional grades a 2.96/5. To summarize these results, White and Fatone state:
Students were very satisfied with the change to pass–fail grading in the second year. They reported additional time that they could devote to improving personal wellness, more time to explore extracurricular activities, and more time with family. Given that the means did not drop across the courses with the introduction of pass–fail grading, and the students reported freed up time for other activities, we deduced that they had most likely been over-studying.
Concluding Remarks
With its remarkable ability to thwart creativity and difference, grades are just another function of capitalism intended to uplift only a handful of individuals. Richard Wolff, Professor Emeritus of Economics at UMass Amherst, poses, “Would not education be best achieved if students and teachers together were able to discuss, compare and debate their respective interpretations of questions, answers, issues and analyses?” Like most institutions we take for granted – policing, non-profits, healthcare, etc. – higher education is intertwined with systems of racism, sexism, classism, among other forms of oppression. As students who envision a “just” future, we should begin by scrutinizing the systems we participate in, namely how grades perpetuate meritocracy and its subsequent social inequalities. But more importantly, how can we use our own positions and power to introduce potential solutions?
Finally, it is important for us to disclose certain statistics that came to light at the faculty workday in January. As faculty and administration continued dialogue around whether or not to move away from CDs, they checked the data on the actual distribution of students’ grades by term. In the Fall 2022 semester, 619 total grades were issued. 54% of the grades earned were CDs, 44% were CRs, and 2% were MCs or NCs. The data from the Fall 2021 and Fall 2019 semesters reveals a similar trend, and they are displayed in the graph below.
Image Description: Bar graph displaying percentage of all students’ grades (across CD, CR, and MC/NC) during the terms of Fall 2019, Fall 2021, and Fall 2022
While we feel these distributions further highlight the inherent subjectivity of grades, it is important to stress that they in no way diminish our efforts in the classroom. These statistics do not specify the classes in which students were more or less likely to be awarded CDs. However, they do demonstrate that CDs and CRs are not the best indicator of our overall performance as students, and further strengthen the argument to move to a pass-fail system.
Despite the reasons, evidence, and research that we have cited, we acknowledge that not all students will agree with our stance. Some students will still prefer grades. However, when making the decision of whether or not to move away from CDs to a pass-fail system, we need to ask ourselves: which decision will be best for our community as a whole?
What type of learning environment would we like in the classrooms? Is it possible to imagine a Union where our scholarship can flourish beyond CDs? Do we want to cultivate a space that prioritizes extrinsic or intrinsic motivation? The research seems to suggest that these motivators cannot coexist. Finally, we understand that grades are a factor in acceptance to PhD and other programs students may be pursuing. However just because this is the standard, it does not mean we should conform to it. Rather, we should organize to change it. For this reason, we have a commitment to reach out to students and the student governing bodies of other institutions to encourage them to also advocate to move their programs to a pass-fail system. For any students interested in supporting this effort, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Likewise, regardless of your position, we invite you to continue sharing your thoughts with us, faculty, and the administration. We do not intend for this to be a one-sided conversation and greatly value the diversity of perspectives you all bring.
References
Butler, Ruth. “Enhancing and undermining intrinsic motivation: The effects of task-involving and ego-involving evaluation on interest and performance. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 58 (1988):1-14. https://johankant.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/butler-88.pdf
Harvard Law Admissions. “Harvard Law School’s Grading System.” January 29, 2023. https://hladmissions.com/harvard-law-school-grading-system-enacted-in-2009/
Kohn, Alfie. “The Case Against Grades.” Accessed January 27, 2023. https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/case-grades/
Lorde, Audre. 1979. “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House.” In This Bridge Called My Back: writings by radical women of color. Edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa, 94-97. New York: Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press.
University of Michigan Medical School. “Grading and Assessments.” January 29, 2023. https://medicine.umich.edu/medschool/education/md-program/curriculum/grading-assessments
White, Casey B, Joseph C. Fantone. “Pass-fail grading: laying the foundation for self-regulated learning.” Advances in Health Science Education. 15 (2010): 469-477. https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s10459-009-9211-1?sharing_token=w9DdiHRIbDHzCtxLbB3dK_e4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY4c9RFq23MISyckIqMovQLLlCKNVomnhp37voGYuPkPsSBfiA3YgR8UIzicG6gSa6BG7Q6WzpDIS9UaWb4iFPxZCixk9nfSRvwSYJ95SF-vmUbPgbjYaf_H9hdYDGorI5g=
Wolff, Richard D. “Grades Are Capitalism in Action. Let’s Get Them Out of Our Schools.” Truthout. Accessed January 29 2023. https://truthout.org/articles/grades-are-capitalism-in-action-lets-get-them-out-of-our-schools/
Zucker School of Medicine. “Curriculum Renewal: Speaker Series with Alfie Kohn.” YouTube video. 1:21:18. October 21, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJbQpKRP7l8&t=130s
The ideas, views, and opinions expressed in this piece belong solely to the authors of this piece. If you disagree with what has been expressed in this piece and wish to respond beyond the comments section, we invite you to submit a response to The Heretic.