Frequently Asked Questions about the New Grading System

Background
During the 2005-06 academic year, the Faculty voted to institute a new grading system, starting in the fall of 2006. The system adds two grade levels: AB and BC. The new grading system breakdown, with associated points, looks like this:

A 4.0
AB 3.5
B 3.0
BC 2.5
C 2.0
D 1.0
F 0.0

All students who enter in the Fall of 2006 or in subsequent years will have their grades calculated according to the new grading system. Students who entered under previous catalogs will choose a catalog by which their grades are calculated when they file their major/minor declaration form. They must adopt the catalog in its entirety.

Because we are still in the process of working through the ways we can implement the new system, students will need to be patient with us as we work out problems. Please contact the Provost if you have any questions or concerns about the new system and its implementation.

Please see page 6 of the 2006-07 Catalog for more information about the use of the catalog in determining graduation requirements.

Question: I already declared a major. Do I need to go back and select a catalog?

When you declared your major, the Registrar made note of which catalog was being used to determine the requirements for that major. Everyone who declared a major prior to September of 2006 is automatically under the old grading system because they would have declared their major based on an old catalog.

Question: I already declared a major, but I want to use the new grade system. Can I change catalogs?

You may change to the new system by submitting a new major/minor form that specifies the new catalog. You will have to adopt that catalog in its entirety, so be sure to check to make sure there are no changes in requirements for your major or minor.

Question: I haven't yet declared a major. How will my grades be calculated?

Your grades will be calculated under the new system until you declare your major and specify the catalog under which you will be graduating. If, in a year, you declare a major under the old catalog, the system will recalculate your grades according to what they would have been under the old system.

Question: If I later decide to declare a major under the new catalog, can the system recalculate my grades?

We are entering your grades so that it will be possible for the system to calculate grades under both systems. There will be AB and BC grades possible beginning in Fall 2006 (though no matter what, grades recorded before Fall 2006 will remain as they were, not converted to AB or BC). For grades recorded in Fall 2006 or later, we will be able to retrieve either set of grades (either old system or new system grades), even if you don't declare your major for several years, or if you redeclare after being on the old system for a couple of years.

Question: If my transcript ends up reflecting two different grading systems, will someone reading that transcript have a way to know what is happening?

The legend on the back of the transcript will include an explanation of the grades and the change in the systems, so graduate schools will know how to interpret the grades and the sudden appearance of new grade types.

Question: I am a freshman this year (Fall 2006). Do I have a choice on which grading system I will use?

No. Students have to graduate under a catalog that was in force during one of the years they were enrolled at Georgetown College. Current freshmen and students who transferred into Georgetown this year will be able to choose from the 2006 catalog and the catalogs that come out after 2006, but not from earlier catalogs.

Question: By what grading scale does my professor decide what is an A, what is an AB, etc.?

There is no standard grading scale used across campus. Some specific academic departments may have uniform grading scales, but in most cases grading scales are set by individual professors in a way that is appropriate for the educational objectives of their courses. Your course syllabus should indicate the scale by which your professor will determine your grade.

More questions?
Email Dr. Rosemary Allen: Rosemary_Allen@georgetowncollege.edu
Provost/Dean of the College
Second Floor, Giddings Hall
Telephone: (502) 863-8146