Professor Schulz
ENGL 1302
January 23, 2015
Diagnostic Essay
College students today battle between standard grading scales and pass/fail scales due to its major differences. A pass/fail grading scale has its pros and cons as well as the standard grading scale. The main purpose for offering the pass/fail grading scale for students rather than the standard letter grade is just an easier passage for “sympathy” without serious consequences to the cumulative grade point average.Students who receive a "70" or higher grade typically will pass the class, while those who receive a "60" or lower grade will automatically fail.
A pass/fail grading policy grants you to focus more on your difficult classes because its less competitive, allowing less pressure of achieving a certain letter grade. Students are overwhelmed with the need of procrastination because ‘competition’ which in my opinion, exist in every man! Gets DISQUALIFIED. With that said, it creates a setting of laziness, loads of it; students now can develop a bad habit of not wanting to achieve more than just the normal standings leading for a questionable future generation.
Majority of non-credit classes are graded in a pass/fail system; mainly behind the idea that remedial classes should be knowledge known prior to entering college and penalizing a student GPA would be inconsiderate to the fact that not every student received the same basic education. For instance, students in High school have a standard grading scale policy so they graduate with honors. If it was pass/fail system there would be no valedictorian. I would be highly upset if my peers who are not on the same intellectual level as me and receive the same recognition. For instance, I made all A’s the entire semester, they made C’s,and we both pass. What?
The grade scaling always competition which in return creates an environment for students to strive. WANT MORE! While in a class with someone producing better grades, and receiving recognition will enforce the drive within others. While it can depress and cause others to NOT perform, but for the most times we want to believe it will drive others to want to strive.
I believe a standard grading scale is better to than a pass/fail system since it allows students the ability to see progress in their education through the years. It creates a booster for some to want more because of that extra + after the letter grade. Unfortunately, the pass/fail system actual scores does not count towards students GPA which is a huge disadvantage, in my opinion, but of course it will receive its credit.
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