There could be a new grading system in place for students at N.C. A&T.

Currently, the school has a standard grading scale of A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, and F=0.0.

The Faculty Senate has proposed the use of a new grading policy for students in which instructors will implement the plus/minus grading system for courses.

The plus/minus grading scale is as followed:

A= 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B= 3.0, B- = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C= 2.0, C- = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D=1.0, and F=0. There would not be an A+ or D-.

The policy has not been approved yet but has been passed by the faculty senate.

If the provost decides to approve the policy, A&T will be the first HBCU to have a plus/minus grading system.

The plus/minus system could be beneficial or detrimental to students.

With the current grading system, students can graduate from A&T with a solid C average (2.0). However, with the plus/minus system, if a student receives the bare minimum of a 70 for all course grades, he or she would receive a C-. Under the proposed new system, a C- would equal a 1.7, which is not eligible for graduation, but if they receive a C+, it could slightly raise their GPA.

The requirement to have a 2.0 for graduation will not change.

“It will be fairer to students,” said Linda Callahan, faculty senate president. “It would be more accurate and more precise in evaluating the students.”

While some professors are on board with the new proposal, Professor Derrick Smith is not.

“In a lot of ways I’m conservative when it comes to change and this is one of them,” said Smith, the political science and criminal justice representative in the faculty senate.

“A lot of our votes are unanimous, but not with this one,” said Smith. “There’s still some dissention…we had quite a few faculty members that don’t want to do it.”

There are 16 traditional state universities in the UNC system. According to the proposal submitted by the faculty senate to the provost, “Nine of the schools use a plus/minus grading system in some form.”

Faculty members also believe that students will “now have a reason to always put their best effort forward,” no longer being content with making the bare minimum of a letter grade, according to the proposal.

A change in the grading system could mean the end of students with 4.0 grade point averages because a student may receive an A- that would only be worth a 3.7, but it could also increase the GPA of B+ students.

Students have mixed views about the grading structure.

“It doesn’t sound good to me,” said Shaylon Johnson, senior chemistry major. “I know it’s bad to shoot for the lowest possible number for the grade, but I don’t feel like it should take away from the grade or your GPA.”

On the other hand, sophomore Tyler Madden, a sophomore theatre major was in agreement with the possibility of the plus/minus system.

“It’s great. It’s wonderful,” said Madden. In his case, like some other students, he received a high B in a class and asked his teacher if it was possible for her to raise his grade to an A.

She said no.

This is why Floyd James, A&T physics professor, proposed the implementation of the new system.

“This was my first proposal,” said James who spearheaded the idea of a plus/minus grading system.

“Because the grading system is on a 10 point grading scale, the range is so broad and people receiving the highest number grade and the lowest number grade in that range will receive the same amount of credit, and that’s not fair.

If the policy is passed, faculty members and administration do not know when it could be officially established as the grading system of A&T.

It is unknown as to who exactly could be affected by the plus/minus grading system if it is established, but it will not affect current juniors and seniors, according to Callahan.

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• Karmen Robinson, Sports Editor