(Unless otherwise specified, the following standard expresses the meaning of grades awarded in all of Dr. McGrath's classes)
A (93-100%) The grade 'A' means, and always has meant, excellence. It reflects the fact that a student not only knows the material (relevant facts, scholars' viewpoints, etc.) but also shows the ability to adjudicate between different views and to evaluate arguments, demonstrating critical thinking and drawing his or her own conclusions. Although correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and use of apostrophes are not nearly enough by themselves to earn an 'A', without these features an 'A' will be unattainable.
A- (90-92%) This grade indicates that your work is very good, but is perhaps lacking in one of the above-mentioned areas. For example, if you show excellent knowledge of information but little ability to evaluate it, or conversely, you show original thought but are somewhat sketchy on the facts, then this is the grade you are likely to get.
B+ (87-89%) This grade indicates that you show good knowledge of the material and/or thoughtfulness in tackling issues, but your knowledge/ability is lacking something in both areas. This is the highest grade one can receive on an assignment that contains errors of spelling and/or grammar, and/or that lacks clarity of expression.
B (83-86%) This grade represents what I would consider or expect to be 'average' for students studying at college level. It still represents a decent standard of academic achievement, but does not indicate that the student has 'gone the extra mile' in terms of reading and reflecting on topics covered. For example, this is the level I would expect from students who do the specifically required reading from the textbook(s) and from the Bible, and no more, in preparation for an exam (doing such minimal reading for a term paper or other such research essay will result in a significantly lower grade).
B- (80-82%) This grade indicates that, in terms of either the knowledge of the facts and of relevant information, or of your understanding of those facts and ability to apply what you have learned to specific questions or problems, your performance was felt to be slightly below average.
C+ (77-79%) This grade indicates that in both your knowledge of relevant information and understanding thereof or reflection thereupon, your performance was below average.
C and below The range of C- (70-72%) to C (73-76%) indicates that you did not cite relevant information and did not treat the topic with seriousness, professionalism, or academic rigor. If you do not indicate that you are aware of the issues raised by a particular topic, and give vague answers like "I don't know, but I feel like..." to questions posed (i.e. show no critical thinking, or interaction with different viewpoints where appropriate), you are heading for a grade in this range. This level of work and anything below it is characterized by increasing superficiality.
D (below 69%) The D range of grade is reserved for those who do in fact hand in work, but perhaps should not have bothered. A 'D' means that you wrote something that was sufficiently related to the question so as to deserve a grade, but that was it. It means that you may have made an attempt to write something on the topic assigned, but you were 'unprepared' (i.e. assigned reading had not been done, or had been done superficially). The D range of grade is what a student may expect if they write a term paper or research essay and yet fail to read anything beyond the textbooks they had been reading anyway as part of the course.
F An 'F' normally indicates that the work was not done at all, or if it was done, never even touched on the subject assigned. I unfortunately once had to give a failing grade on an assignment to a student who wrote very eloquently, thoughtfully and passionately about a subject entirely unrelated to the question I in fact asked - so please do read the question(s) carefully!
I like having the full "100%" range of grades, so as to be able to differentiate between (for example) a really outstanding "A" and an "A" which, while clearly excellent, could nonetheless have been better still, and perhaps was almost an 'A-'. For that reason, I use distinctions like "A(-)" (= an "A" but more like a 95% than 100%), A-/B+ (= borderline), C++ (= high C+), and so on. Hopefully this will not cause confusion and will make your grade more meaningful.
Just a few more words from me about this grading scale: I really like giving 'A's! I have created this scale, perhaps more than any other reason, to force myself to be objective in grading, and not simply say 'Well, he tried really hard, so I'll just give him an A'. Grade inflation has become a serious problem in higher education in the U.S. By creating this grading scale, I hope to avoid this tendency (which really robs the reward of those who deserve an 'A' without qualification). I also hope this will provide students, particularly those used to study in the hard sciences, to understand why a particular grade is given. If you are used to learning in terms of fields like mathematics, your grade is based on 'getting the right answer'. This is emphatically not the way grades are given in humanities subjects like religion. Yes, knowledge of facts is important, but acquiring facts or producing a 'right answer' is not what these subjects are about. The meaning of a Biblical text, for example, cannot be determined using a formula or apparatus. For this reason, there is no 'right' or 'wrong' answer. There are simply answers which have more or less evidence in their favor. But the evidence itself is subject to interpretation. For this reason, the most important factor is not the conclusion you reach, but how you reach it. If it helps you, think of this in terms of a mathematics exam: a professor may give you some credit even if you get the answer wrong, if he or she saw that you used the right equation or formula and simply made a mistake on a minor detail. In the humanities, however, there isn't a right answer, and so all that matters is the formula! The formula, in this case, is critical thinking - i.e. the ability to look at a subject as objectively as possible, understand when there are differences of opinion about a particular issue, and assess the arguments for and against each in a way that utilizes rational argument rather than subjective criteria like personal feelings. Personal feelings may of course be mentioned, but not as a way of simply avoiding having to assess the evidence and draw a conclusion based upon it. More information on critical thinking is available through links on my web page.
I hope you find this grading scale helpful...and I sincerely hope that it inspires you to get an 'A', because I really like being able to give them! J
James McGrath