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MCCC updates grading scale to include +/-

Students at MCCC can expect a change to their grading scale in the near future.
A new grading system has been approved, which would set guidelines for teachers who want to pluses and minuses.
The grading scale starts at a regular “A” (4.0) and goes down to the standard “E” (0.0) Falling on the positive side would change your grade by .3 (a B+ would be a 3.3), while the negative side would change your grade to a .7 (a B- would be a 2.7).
According to Terri Kovach, a Sociology professor and a member of the task force assigned to review the proposal, the individual instructors would choose whether or not to use the new grading system.
“For some instructors, an ‘A’ is a 94 and above. For some instructors, an ‘A’ is a 90 and above,” Kovach said. “Ultimately, whether an instructor uses the plus and minus scale is up to them.”
Further, she said the system will serve as a guide for those instructors who would like to use a plus and minus grading scale, but haven’t previously.
The idea for the grading change was originally presented to the Academic Review Committee by Grace Yackee, the Vice President of Instruction. According to Yackee, the idea was proposed to her by a former nursing student who felt that a modified grading system could give her an edge when applying to bachelor’s programs.
“Even though she had a high GPA, her GPA was equal to students who had lower scores,” Yackee explained.
“I looked at what my colleagues were doing at community colleges in Michigan, and most of them did have a plus/minus system,” Yackee said.
A plus and minus grading scale has actually been in the works for some time now, though this is the first time a definite model has been designed and approved.