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Law School Ends Grades, Adopts Six Classifications
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Law School Ends Grades,
Adopts Six Classifications

Brian Siegel
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

A new grading system has been
adopted by the School of Law from
the recommendations of the Student-Faculty
Committee on Grade
Revision.

The system corresponds to the
committee's recommendations
without change. There are six
possible gradations which can be
used in evaluating course performance,
although four will be used for
all but a few members of the class.

Guidelines

The percentage figures given for
each classification are guidelines
rather than rigid categories. They
are particularly applicable to large
sections of required courses: however,
would be much less so in
regard to seminars, small courses
and other offerings which are not
large enough to represent a fair
sample of the class.

The top section of each class
will receive an Honors (H or )
grade. About 15 per cent will fall
into this category. Starred honors
are reserved for the truly outstanding
performances. The purpose of
the grade is to permit the recognition
of the clearly outstanding
student.

Approximately 35 to 40 percent
of the class will receive a High Pass
(HP). The purpose of this grade is
to provide incentive above the
grade of Pass for students who
might otherwise settle for a minimum
passing grade. The Pass grade
will likewise receive about 35 to 40
per cent of the class.

Complete Inadequacy

Unsatisfactory (US or USnc)
comprises 5 to 10 per cent of the
class. The grade of Unsatisfactory
No Credit would only be used for
those very few students who
demonstrate complete inadequacy,
there for lack of effort or ability.
The grade of US will indicate an
unsatisfactory performance, but
will earn credit for having taken the
course.

The new system will become
effective immediately. For the
first-year class, two factors indicate
that the change over should be made
now.

Strongly In Favor

The sentiment of the class
according to a student petition
seemed strongly in favor of a
change now. It seemed as well that
there was little point in beginning
that class on a system the faculty
had decided to move away from.

Concerning the second-year
class, three semesters of grades on
the precise numbers system have
already been recorded and the
committee felt it to be impractical
to attempt any sort of conversion.

The decision to change now was
made for two reasons student
sentiment for immediate change
and a feeling that the misleading
implications of the number system
would be magnified in four semesters
rather than three were recorded
under the old system.

In respect to the third-year class,
it was thought impractical to have a
two standard grading system; sentiment
supported the change; and no
substantial considerations of fairness
seemed to be involved in the
decision to change now to the new
system.

For the purpose of exclusion
from the Law School for grade
deficiency, the grade US will be
awarded one point and the grade
USnc will be awarded two points.
Three points will result in exclusion
from the first-year class.

Excluded From School

Four points during the second
year or a cumulative of a total of
five points will result in exclusion
from the Law School, also. During
the third year, a student must get
four points or cumulate a total of
seven for all three years in order to
be excluded from school.

It should be noted that any
student excluded from the Law
School will continue to have the
right to petition the Readmission
Committee for reinstatement. That
committee will continue to
function as it has in the past.

During the transition period,
special rules will be followed in
determining the exclusion of students
from the Law School.