Governance matters
ALLOWING A+
The University Senate is considering a request from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for an amendment to section 2.4.1 of the University Senate Rules and Regulations. The amendment would allow, for the first time, an instructor to award a grade of A+.Under the USRR, individual schools and the College have long had the option of using a plus/minus system. Last spring, the College Academic Council recommended to the dean that the College adopt the +/- option. The College policy will permit, but not require, instructors in CLAS undergraduate courses to award plus and minus grades.
The proposed amendment to the USRR would enable the College to add the grade of A+, which would count for 4.0 grade points — the same as an A — when calculating the GPA. As provided for in the current USRR, for all other grades a plus adds 0.3 grade points and a minus subtracts 0.3 grade points.
The proposal to allow an A+ to appear on a student’s transcript but count for 4.0 grade points is intended to provide an opportunity for instructors to recognize outstanding student work in a specific course, while maintaining 4.0 as the maximum number of grade points possible.
Many may not be aware that the USRR permit the College or individual schools to adopt a plus/minus grading system and that no amendment to the USRR is needed to accommodate that change. Because the current 2.4.1 does not allow for the award of a grade of A+, however, an amendment is necessary to permit instructors in the College to have the option.
The proposal was considered by the University Senate’s Academic Policies and Procedures Committee, which recommended that the necessary changes to the USRR be made. The committee also proposed some technical changes to clarify the current provision on the computation of grade point averages and to conform the language of the provision to current rules regarding withdrawal from courses.
Comments received by governance to date reflect some misunderstanding about the scope and impact of the proposal before the University Senate. The only issue before the senate is whether to make changes to accommodate the College’s proposed introduction of an A+ grade and how that new grade would be weighted in calculation of the GPA. The plus/minus grading system as a whole is not before the Senate because its adoption is within the authority of the College under existing rules.
It is also important to note that the College’s adoption of a plus/minus policy is limited to undergraduate courses in the College. The proposals before the Senate will not affect the grading systems in other schools (unless the schools choose to adopt the A+ option, as well) or in any graduate programs. No instructor is required to award plus or minus grades in any case.
The proposals, which are posted at www2.ku.edu/~unigov/usrr221.shtml, will be considered at the University Senate meetings on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6. For further information or to comment on the proposals, e-mail the governance office at govern@ku.edu.
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