Efforts to establish a common grading standard across the University are continuing to make progress, according to a report issued by the Faculty Committee on Grading.
In addition, the committee announced that these efforts have not put
Princeton students at a disadvantage when it comes to finding jobs or
getting into graduate schools.
The committee presented its report on grading results for 2005-06 at
the Sept. 18 faculty meeting. The grading policy, adopted by the
faculty in 2004, sets an institution-wide expectation for the
percentage of grades in the A range and provides clear guidelines on
the meaning of letter grades.
The report included two-year averages, comparing 2004-06 -- the first
two years under the new policy -- with 2002-04 -- the two years before
the adoption of the policy. In 2004-06, grades in the A range (A+, A,
A-) accounted for 41 percent of grades in undergraduate courses, down
from 47 percent in 2002-04.
This progress puts Princeton closer to the institution-wide expectation
of A's accounting for less than 35 percent of the grades for
undergraduate courses.
"While there is clearly more work to be done," the committee said in
its report, "we are heading in the right direction, and we are
encouraged by the progress made thus far."
The committee also provided a two-year breakdown of percentage of A's
by academic divisions: humanities -- 46.4 percent in 2004-06, down from
56.6 percent in 2002-04; social sciences -- 37.9 percent in 2004-06,
down from 43.7 percent in 2002-04; natural sciences -- 35.8 percent in
2004-06, down from 36.3 percent in 2002-04; and engineering -- 42.7
percent in 2004-06, down from 50.1 percent in 2002-04.
The committee said it would be working closely with individual
departments over the course of the fall semester to understand the
factors that have contributed to success in implementing the new
grading expectations and to gain information about the challenges that
may be impeding further progress. The committee noted that the standard
by which the grading record of each department or program normally will
be evaluated is the percentage of A's given over the previous three
years.
Using data from the Office of Career Services' annual survey of
Princeton seniors on their post-graduation plans, the committee
compared statistics for the class of 2004 -- the last class to graduate
before the new grading standards went into effect -- with those for the
classes of 2005 and 2006.
"We see no evidence of detrimental effects from the new grading policy
on the fortunes of Princetonians in the various external marketplaces
in which they compete for jobs and graduate and professional school
admissions," the committee stated.
Noting that many other factors affect these data, such as the state of
the economy, the committee reported that the percentage of students who
had full-time jobs in May of their senior year has increased over the
three years: 29.4 percent of the class of 2004; 32.5 percent of the
class of 2005; and 35 percent of the class of 2006. Of those who
intended to work, the percentage still seeking employment in May of
their senior year has decreased: 23.4 percent of the class of 2004;
22.2 percent of the class of 2005; and 18.8 percent of the class of
2006.
The committee also analyzed data on admission to graduate schools,
medical schools and law schools and found "no evidence of any harm to
Princeton undergraduates' further schooling and future careers."
The Faculty Committee on Grading is charged by the faculty to assess
the progress made in implementing the new grading expectations and to
advise on ways of making further progress. It consists of six elected
faculty members: Lynn Enquist, molecular biology; Michael Gordin,
history; Martha Himmelfarb, religion; Jaswinder Pal Singh, computer
science; Anne-Marie Slaughter, Woodrow Wilson School; and Kyle
Vanderlick, chemical engineering. The dean of the faculty, the dean of
the college and the registrar serve as ex officio members.