Pass/No Pass

Rebel Girl has been thinking about how we might have done things better during the pandemic so we can be prepared for the next one - ha ha HA. 

But seriously, instead of full steam ahead, perhaps: smaller classes? fewer classes required for a full load? (9 units instead of 12?) And yes, as this recent LA Times article suggests, Pass/No Pass instead of letter grades. Check out this recent Board of Governors acton to make the policy more widely available:

Can ‘pass/no pass’ grading stem huge declines in California Community College enrollment? by Colleen Shalby.

excerpt:

At a time of plummeting enrollment at California Community Colleges — brought on in part by pandemic hardships that forced students to get a job instead of an education — the system has moved to permanently adopt a more forgiving pass/no pass grading system — a transcript lifeline of sorts designed to prevent students from dropping out.

Students will have until the last day of instruction before finals to decide whether they want a letter grade or a pass/no pass credit to protect their GPA. In addition, they can opt for an “excused withdrawal” for coronavirus-related hardships to avoid a transcript penalty.

But the generous timeline and grade options, approved last week by the Board of Governors, comes with considerable risk to the transfer process at universities, including many in the University of California and California State University systems, which require letter grades in core subjects.

Rebel Girl was strategic in her Pass/No Pass selections as an undergrad. She recalls perhaps taking that option twice, both times for classes in which she anticipated great struggles. She was right to do so.

As a teacher, she has certainly given out her share of P/NP grades, sometimes with relief, other times surprise and a little regret as students who excelled feared they wouldn't and instead of receiving the well-earned A, received a P instead.