1
Faculty Flunks Fractionated Grading System
Editor’s note: With grades for
the fall semester still fresh in
the minds of most students here,
we feel this is quite an appro
priate time to investigate new ideas
regarding marks which are being
sounded out in other institutions
of higher learning around the coun
try.
ELLENSBURG, WASH, -(1. P.)-
Expressing regret that the Central
Washington State College faculty
turned down the proposed fraction
ated grading system, Dr. Maurice
Pettit, professor of education and
psychology, said “the faculty’s
first responsibility is to the stu
dents, and the fractionated scale
is one way of fulfilling that re
sponsibility.’’
The title of the study done by
Dr. Pettit and Dr, Jack Crawford,
associate professor of psychology,
is “Some Effects of a Refined
Grading Scale.’’ These two men
spent four years compiling infor
mation for this study. Recently
the U. S. Office of Educaticai sent
their approval of the study to
Drs. Pettit and Crawford.
The fractionated scale, in Dr.
Pettit’s opinion, is a more pre
cise measurement of student achi
evement than the present scale of
A-B-C-D-E. A check of classes
taken for the report found that
“only one out of three students
receive the benefit of the doubt
when they are on the border line
between grades under the present
system,’’ according to Dr. Pettit.
Dr, Pettit says that there is
an error in grading when a stu
dent is given a ‘C’ grade when
he just-missed a ‘B’ grade by a
point or two. “Rounding these
errors is what we are doing with
this new scale,’’ he continued,
pointing out that the student who
just missed the ‘B’ grade would
receive his 2.8 or 2.9 and not
just a straight ‘C’ grade.
Asked why he thought the faculty
voted against the new scale (114
to 77) Dr. Pettit was not sure but
he did say that “fifty-one new
faculty members voted cm this
issue who never had any associa
tion with the study conducted
BY FRANK CATON
Have you ever listened to a joke or a supposedly funny story and
everyone laughed except you? Does it happen very often? It’s pos
sible , but not very probable, the other peopic are laughing just to be
polite or to hide the fact that they didn’t get it either.
I’ve studied this situation, and I believe I can shed some light on it.
One reason you often find yourself left out when a joke is told is
that the person telling the joke simpiy cannot tell jokes. This person
sometimes warns you of this fact, and, naturally, you feel obligated to
laugh whether it’s a funny story or not. These people ruin thousands
of jokes every year.
My advice to these people is: Tell the joke to someone who known
how to tell jokes. Get him, or her, dress it up, organize it, and teU
it to your friends. Everyone will enjoy it more. Remember, the one
thing worse than a oad joke is a good joke told badly.
The seconu, and most important reason some people don’t laugh at
jokes is that they have a low H.Q.—Humor Quotient. Perhaps you’ve
never wondered if the reason jokes sometimes leave you cold is that
you lack an aptitude for humor. Wonder no Icmger. Mcxlern science
has the answer. You may not determine youH.Q. simply by taking
Caton’s Humor Aptitude Test.
In compiling this test, I pored through dozens of monologues and
comedy skits collected over the past ten years. From these live
performances by famous and upcoming comedians, I have selected
jokes and gags that drew various reactions from the audiences. On
the basis of these reactions, you can compare yourself with a large
cross section of the nation’s humor aptitudes.
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the jokes and note your reaction according
t o the following guide: 1. No reaction, 2. Chuckle, 3. Giggle,
4. Guffaw. Compare your reactions with the correct reactions given
at the end of the test.
1. When Steve Allen was a kid his parents took him to the zoo, and
the guard s would bawl him out for feeding the squirrels. He was
feeding them to the Polar Bears.
2. And now here’s a final score from the Texas-William and Mary
game. Texas 12, William 7, and Mary 6.
3. Speaking of Texas, now there’s a place where you can go the
fartherest and see nothing, have more sunshine and less shade, and
see muie rivers with less water, more cows that give less milk, and
4. The only trouble with the South is that they talk so slow down
there. If you ask a southerner what he thinks of a yankee, by the time
he gets through telling you, you’ve been there so long that you agree
with him.
5. My wife did an amazing thing the other day. She bcked the car
out of the garage. The amazing part of it is that I backed it in the night
before.
6. We live in a sick world today. We’re surrounded by neurotics,
psychotic s, and psychiatrists. Do you know the difference? A nuerotic
builds castles in the air. The psychotic lives in them. The psychiatrist
collects the rent from the other two.
7. I had an uncle once who vras completely bald, but he overcame it.
8. The largest country in the world is Cuba. Their capital is in
Havana, their government is in Russia, and all their people are in the
United States.
9. There are thousands of beautiful girls like Anita Ekberg, in
Sweden. It’s no wonder the Swedes have never sent up a satteUte;
they’re having too much fun on the ground.
10. When you can remain calm while those about you are climbing
the walls, perhaps you don’t realize the seriousness of the situation.
ANSWERS: 1. Jack E. Leonard, chuckle. 2. Steve Allen, giggle.
3. Prof. Backwards, giggle. 4. Red Skelton, giggle. 5. Pat Henry,
guffaw. 6. Alien King, chuckle. 7. Yul Bryner, no reaction. 8. Martin
and Rossi, guffaw. 9. Bob Hope, guffaw. 10 Brother Dave Gardner,
chuckle.
A score of 20 on this test indicates an average H.Q. A score of
24 or higher shows you to have a superior aptitude for humor. Anyone
scoring 28 or higher will laugh at anything, and I strongly urge you
to read my column regularly—preferably near large groups of people.
here.’’
Dr. Pettit cited a number of
research figures in favor of the
new scale. He said that “74 per
cent of instructors’ grade at CWSC
had a higher correlation to pre
dicted grades for college on the
new scale than on the old scale.
Twenty - eight of thirty - two
departments at Central hadahigh
er correlation on the new scale
and only three had a higher corr
elation Ml the old scale. One de
partment came out.. the same on
both scales.’’
Citing several reasons why
CWSC should not adopt the frac
tionated grading system. Dr. Floyd
Rodine, professor of history, said
the new scale would lead to mach
ine graded, objective examina
tion. He also said that more ex
tensive use of the objective exam
vill result in a poor qualiti' ed-
jcation. I think the addition of
plus and minus to grades would
would give us sufficient variation
tor those that want change. Dr,
Rodine said.
Another point made was that the
difficult scheme of grading might
veil make recruitment of top fac
ulty more impossible than ever.
Pressure would come to bear on
instructors if they have to use the
new scale, he said. “The ten
point fractionated scale would
really be chaotic. How can an in
structor defend a 2.3 grade rather
than a 2.4 grade (1-10 of a point)
when it means leaving or staying
in school?’’ Dr. Rodine questioned.
“How do you evaluate aU our
transfer students (we will soon
have 1000 or more each year)?
Are their ‘C’ grades 2.4 or
1.6? How about our students trans
ferring elsewhere?’’
Pass-Fall System Instituted
At Trinity College Now
Low HQ People Are
Often Joke Ruiners
HARTFORD, CONN. - (I. P.) -
Trinity CoUege has instituted a
pass-fail system. The proposal,
as approved by the faculty in the
following form, states:
“At registration a junior or sen
ior may elect as part of regular
full time program one - half or
one full course, not offered or
required by his major department
and not fulfilling one of his basic
requirements, in which he may
request to be graded with either
‘Pass’ or ‘Fail’. This election,
having once been made, may not
subsequently be changed.
“Full credit will be granted for
a course which has been graded
as ‘Pass.’ No credit wUl be grant
ed for a course graded as ‘FaU’,
and ‘Fail’ will have the same ef
fects upon academic standings as
the regular grade of ‘F’.
“In the determination of aver
ages, rank, etc, ‘Pass’ will have
no quality point value, and such
determination will be based upon
the regular letter grades re
ceived.”
An amendment to the proposal
placed the “Pass-Fail” option on
a two-year trial basis with a re
view at the end of that time.
Trinity this year has also in
stituted changes in the time and
scheduling of semester examina
tions and comprehensives.
setting of a deadline on all theses
and long-term papers.
Dean of Students Roy Heath, a
nember of the committee that re
commended that the changes be
adopted, stated that the seniors’
comprehensives were setata later
date than in the past to place them
as “the climax of the student’s
academic experience at the Col
lege.”
The addition of a due date for
papers, he explained, was an ex
pression of the teachers’ concern
that students have a maximum a-
mount of time to prepare for their
examinations. The shortening of
the exam period, he continued,
came as a solution to the problem
caused by moving up of gradua
tion from the second to the first
Sunday in June.
These changes have resulted ir
mixed campus reaction. James
A. Notopoulos, professor of class
ics, was “non-commital” overthe
issue of the shortening of tlie
exam period. He stated, however,
that one of the effects of the change
would be more hourly exams.
Beloit Students
Drop Low Grades
The new plan schedules three
two-hour exams per day over a
seven day period, and changes the
comprehensive exams for seniors
to the end of the Trinity term.
It also includes the exemption of
seniors from final exams at the
end of their last term, and the
BELOIT, WIS. — (LP.) - The
letters D and F, least popular
members of the academic alphabet,
have a less ominous meaning for
students under a new grading and
probation ... policies plan adopted
at Beloit College. The new regu
lations allow students to: (1) study
their first year without fear .
being placed on academic proba
tion; (2) drop the two lowest grades
from the total grades earned in
figuring a cumulative grade point
average, according to Dean
iVilliam L. Kolb.
of
In explaining how the plan af
fects a new student. Dean Kolb:
“If a student earns eight B’s,
two C’s, one D and one F in his
first year he may drop the D
and F in figuring a cumulative
jrade point average. The effect
will, of course, be much greater
at this time than at the end of
his undergraduate career when he
has 30 or more courses to his
credit, and may still drop only
the two lowest grades from the
total earned.”
Under Beloit’s graduation re
quirements a student must pass
30 courses and have a “C” aver
age or better in his major field
and in the final two terms. He
must maintain a “C” average
aver all four terms discounting his
two lowest grades. The adjusted
cumulative grade point is counted
only at Beloit. All grades, in
cluding the two lowest ones, are
entered on the transcript which is
sent to any graduate school to
which the student may apply.
Forum Topic Is Announced
Persons or groups with announ
cements for this column should
submit them to Sally Hagood at
the Union Information Desk.
3^: >)c ^ ^ ^^
on the tennis team this spring.
Mrs. Edyth F. Winningham,
chairman of the University Forum
Council, has announced the topic
of this year’s March 2 Forum is
“The Urban University and the
Arts.” This year’s forum will pro
vide for seminar type discussions
at which those attending can voice
their opinions and concern.
Forum speakers include Douglas
Reid Sasser, president of Young
Harris College; Richard Gilman,
drama critic of Newsweek mag
azine; Dr. Robert \V. Corrigan,
dean of New York University’s
School of Arts; Prof. Norman Dello
Joio, Policy Committee Chairman
of the Ford Foundation’s Con
temporary music project; and
James Johnson Sweeny, Director of
the Museum of Art in Houston,
Texas.
Male students interested in
running on the track team this
spring have been asked by Coach
Steele to see him in his Union
office as soon as possible. High
jumpers and broad jumpers are
especially needed.
companies to be represented and
the dates on which they will be
here, students should see Miss
English. .
******
***************
Mr. Gary Peterson, new coach
of the tennis team, has announced
that a meeting will be held to
day at 11:30 in the Union for all
students interested in a position
For consideration by the Awards
Committees of the North Carolina
Perspective Teachers Scholarship
Loan Fund applications must be
submitted not later than March 1.
.\nd resident of North Carolina
who is interested in preparing to
teach in the public schools of the
■State is eligible to apply. Approx
imately 500 scholarship loans are
awarded each year.
Those Interested should see
Dean MacKay.
* ** ** **********.***
Representatives from many area
companies will be on campus be
ginning February 8 to interview
perspective graduate for jobs. AU
interviews will be held by appoint
ments made through Mrs. Davis or
Miss English in room 112 of the
Administration Building.
For a calendar indicating the
Bill Roberson, missionary to
Vietnam, will speak to the Baptist
Student Union on February 8, at
11:30 a. m. in room U233. His
topic is “The People and Pro
blems of Vietnam.”
Dr. Nish Jamgotch, chairman of
the Political Science Department,
will lead an open discussion on
Vietnam at the BSU on February
22.
A BSU paper drive is schedul
ed for the near future to raise
funds for its mission project.
**#****.::## :^! .it
An attendant is needed for the
University Health Service to work
hours from 5 to 9 p. m. Monday
through Thursday and from 2:30
to 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Students
with Red Cross first aid certi
ficates will be given preference,
but other students may apply and
obtain this training later. Appli
cations for the job should be sub
mitted to Mr. Mark Tinkham in
the Student Affairs office.