By Elijah Mckenzie

A new grading scale may be coming to the University of Louisville, aimed at changing the way U of L values the plus/minus system. Currently, letter grades with pluses and minuses are only counted for scores below an A. Because of this, an A-plus counts for the same number of points as an A score.

The Student Government Association passed a resolution in August to allow an A-plus grade to equal a 4.3 in terms of grade point average. The resolution was sent to the university administration, where it is expected to proceed through the stages of implementation.

At its current stage, however, the initiative still rests on the approval of the provost and vice provost.

“We were told at the beginning of the year that there was nothing that could be done to change the grading system,” said Kurtis Frizzell, the academic vice president of SGA and a junior political science and liberal studies double major. “If it’s an administrative decision, we can get this enacted by fall. But this is something that can easily get caught up in bureaucracy.”

Frizzell said he remains optimistic that, with student support, the initiative will be approved and put into operation.

“We’ve been gaining speed,” said Frizzell. “The specifics of the A-plus resolution still need to be worked out. But students have made their voices heard. We have the momentum to get this passed.”

The momentum Frizzell refers to can be seen on the “Make the A+ Count at UofL” Facebook group, which drew over 1,700 members. Several members have posted messages on the group’s page, heralding the initiative as a long-needed solution to the university’s grading scale problem.

According to the SGA Senate resolution, the proposal to make the A-plus reflect a 4.3 GPA will likely encourage professors to utilize the plus/minus scale, in order to reward students who perform exceptionally well in the classroom. Additionally, the adjustment to the new grading scale will increase the grade point averages of U of L students, which may also raise their likelihoods of obtaining Fulbright awards and other prominent scholarships.

“Just going by experience, more students would seek out the opportunities for homework assistance,” said Keirsten Taylor, a sophomore education major and REACH front desk employee. “If students knew that they would receive a better GPA for a higher grade, they would definitely take the extra steps to get it.”

If passed, the A-plus initiative will cap the cumulative GPA at 4.0, to allow U of L transcripts to be transferred and compared with other universities and graduate schools.

U of L and Northern Kentucky University both currently operate on plus/minus scales, whereas Eastern Kentucky University and Western Kentucky University operate on straight grading scales, not counting the plus or minus in the GPA score. EKU has attempted to adjust the grading system to plus/minus. However, due to a lack of student and faculty support, the proposal was placed in moratorium.

U of L’s initiative to have the A-plus equal a 4.3 is an alternate route in adjusting the grading scale.

“This is something that nobody else has tried,” said Ben Donlon, an SGA Arts and Sciences senator and a junior biochemistry and mathematics double major. “Rather than completely getting rid of the plus/minus system, this initiative is the next best option because it creates a fair grading system for students.”

If passed, this type of grading scale will be the first of its kind in the state of Kentucky.

According to a letter written by O.J. Oleka, the previous SGA president, the passing of the resolution is ultimately contingent on student demand.

“The students who are performing at the highest levels should be rewarded so,” Oleka said in the letter addressed to students. Oleka concluded the letter with a call to action: “But that is my opinion. Let your voice be heard.”