| Until 2001,
UC Santa Cruz used a grading system known as the Narrative
Evaluation System, which focused on narrative descriptions
written by the professors that evaluated student performance
and assessed the students’ strengths and weaknesses.
Students had the option of either receiving a grade
along with the evaluation or a “Pass/No Pass”
designation.
Today all undergraduates are graded on a traditional
A-F (4.0) scale. Students may elect a pass/no pass option
for no more than 25 percent of their course work, as
is the policy in most universities; several majors further
limit the use of pass/no pass grading. |
|
Students
are graded on an A-F scale and also receive performance
evaluations. |
Students also receive performance evaluations. These evaluations
may address the strengths and weaknesses of a student's performance
as well as describe any special projects or achievements.
Evaluations may also provide information about the course
and the criteria on which grades were based.
The combination of grades and performance evaluations is
used at UC Santa Cruz for academic advising, reviewing scholarship
applications, and awarding honors. Pioneered at UC Santa Cruz,
this dual system of assessment is one of the most comprehensive
methods of student evaluation available to undergraduates
anywhere. Performance evaluations are part of students’
official record and transcripts, and graduate schools have
found them to be a helpful addition to the information on
students’ applications.
|
