US colleges adopt pass-fail rules, stirring wider reform

Student Lounge College Life
1

"More than 150 US colleges and universities have adopted a pass-fail grading system for the spring semester, a spontaneous reaction to the coronavirus pandemic that could bring fundamental change across higher education.

The overwhelming majority of the institutions have made pass-fail an option, reflecting student concerns that work worthy of a top grade should not be lost in a bid to protect them from the challenges of finishing online.

A smaller share of the institutions − including some of the nation’s most elite − have made pass-fail mandatory, aiming to protect less-resourced students suddenly thrust into off-campus situations and traumas that compromise their ability to fully address their studies." …

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/us-colleges-adopt-pass-fail-rules-stirring-wider-reform

2

Many (most?) colleges already had a pass / no-pass (or similar) grading option, but some of them are extending it for this semester by one or more of the following ways:

  • Allowing it to be used for courses that normally are required to be taken for a letter grade.
  • Having a later deadline (possibly even after being able to see what the final letter grade would be) to choose between a letter grade and pass / no-pass (or similar).
  • Making it mandatory for all courses this semester.
3

We first made grade inflation common. We then made standardized tests optional. The next logical step is to make grades irreverent.