ABSTRACT
As classes have grown in size, faculty grading time has substantially increased and grade tracking has moved online. In this chapter, the author examines three different contexts in which pass/fail grading has been used: the course, the program, and assignments and tests within a course. Most studies from the 1960s and early 1970s found that, compared to traditional letter grading, pass/fail grading of courses lowered academic standards, student motivation, and student achievement. It is difficult to draw unambiguous conclusions about the effects of pass/ fail grading on academic standards and students. Even in today’s traditionally graded classes, pass/fail grading is commonly used to give credit to certain assignments and tests, but not always under the pass/fail name. For building a new grading system, pass/fail grading of assignments and tests provides an excellent foundation. Grade inflation stops dead in its tracks.
