The University implemented a plus-minus grading system in 2015 to more accurately measure student performance. However, numbers show the grading scale has had little to no impact on overall student GPA during the four years it’s been used.
Under the plus-minus system, the A, B, C or D letter grades include the suffix plus (+) or minus (-) to further distinguish student performances on assessments, according to the Office of the University Registrar’s website.
E.J. Ourso College of Business Professor Don Chance suggested the scale to give professors the opportunity to reward students who rank higher within the 10-point ranges assigned to each letter grade.
Chance said the majority of large universities in the U.S. adopted this scale years ahead of LSU.
“We often get accused at this University and in the state of being behind the times, so I figured it’s time to catch up,” Chance said.
Some professors were uneasy about the idea at first, and were concerned that it would be harder for students to get into graduate school with the plus-minus grading system in place, according to Chance. Despite these concerns, the Faculty Senate approved the change with a 65% majority.
While some students worry that the scale could hurt their GPA, the LSU Freshmen Profile provided by Matthew Lee, vice provost for Academic Programs and Support Services, shows there has been little to no change in mean cumulative GPA.
According to the report, in fall 2014, the year before the scale was implemented, the mean cumulative GPA for freshmen was 2.96. The following year, the GPA remained the same.
“It [mean cumulative GPA] hasn’t changed enough to get excited about,” Lee said.
One of the most significant changes has been the amount of students awarded the University Medal, given to the undergraduate student or students graduating with the highest GPA.
With the ability to earn more than a 4.0 GPA under the new grading scale, there was a significant increase in recipients. According to the University’s commencement website, 43 medals were awarded in the spring of 2015. In spring 2019, over 150 were awarded.
Communication studies sophomore Marigny Lanaux said she has mixed feelings about the scale.
“I’m indifferent about it because on one hand if I get a B+ then it’s higher than someone’s B-, but if I get an A-, I wish it counted as an A,” Lanaux said.
Another concern with the scale is that high-performing students feel more pressure to do well when it is possible to get a grade higher than an A.
Lee said while he does not like that students might feel more pressured, he thinks students can handle it.
“Our students are just super strong to begin with, so it may put some pressure on them, and I hate that,” Lee said. “But they’re responding to it and they’re doing quite well. And remember, our grading system has not just an A and an A-, but an A+, so there are students who are getting over 4.0s.”
Business sophomore Lilli Kearns said the additional pressure associated with the plus-minus grading scale motivates her.
“I like it. I think it works well and makes me want to do better, but I think honestly either way an A is an A. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s a plus or not,” Kearns said.