Augustana College uses the 4.0-grade scale, which lacks the consistency of an A-F letter system from professor to professor. Because plus or minus grades are weighted differently than simple letter grades, this creates difficulty in keeping up with professors’ varying grade breakdowns. There should be a consistent grading system among classes and professors.

One variable between professors and grades is a different breakdown of class activities. A student will find that depending on the class, there are activities that are weighed differently in the grade book. 

One class will emphasize attendance and participation, while another will hardly count it. Some students must risk going to class sick for their grades not to suffer, but others can skip class without negatively impacting their grades.

Some classes require events outside of the classroom. Professors can require students to attend extra activities outside of class for a grade. This should only be an extra credit opportunity, since students have multiple classes per semester with potentially prior commitments

Another variable that is considered is an A, A minus, or B plus is different depending on the class and professor. Some professors grade 92 percent and above as an A, others require 94 percent and above to receive an A. These differing grades hold for all letters A through D.

These inconsistencies in the Augustana grading scale create stress and confusion for students. Every class is different in what the overall grade consists of, but each class should hold to the same letter grade system.

Using the same examples as before, A, A- and B+, each holds a different weight toward a student’s grade point average. According to Augustana’s grading scale, an A is a 4.0, an A minus is a 3.67, and a B plus is a 3.33 weight for the total grade point average (GPA).

This does not make sense when an A plus does not have above 4.0 weight. A student who earns an A plus in one class should be able to counterbalance an A minus received in another.

One argument is that different majors include varying aspects and activities, so there should be a standard grading system per department.

This idea could work, requiring professors to emphasize certain aspects of class for the final grade. 

If Augustana wants to retain the current grading system, with plus and minus grades having differing weights, then an A plus should also have a higher weight. An A and an A plus grade should not give the same benefits.

Some might argue that an A is an A, and a B is a B, regardless of whether there is a plus or minus after it. While this argument is valid, some students rely on those plus or minus grades to keep their GPA higher than what it would be if there were just simple letter grades.

There are many ways to better the current grading system at Augustana. Regardless of which one, it should not be up to each professor, and there needs to be a more consistent grading system.