Education students receive more A's

Instructional emphasis may be cause, dean says

Almost twice as many students in upper-level courses receive A's in the College of Education than JMU's average, which students and administration primarily attribute to the unique nature of education classes.

Almost 80 percent of the grades given in 300- and 400- level undergraduate classes in the College of Education are A's, compared to the JMU average of about 46 percent in all undergraduate classes, according to the 2003-'04 JMU Statistical Summary.

Alvin Pettus, associate dean of the College of Education, said that, while he has not had time to analyze the grades given by College of Education faculty or to determine education grades compared with the grades from other colleges, he was not entirely surprised by the summary's results.

"One reason I am not surprised is that the instructional emphases and the approaches to assessment may differ [in the College of Education]," he said.

A 2.5 grade-point average, in addition to passing the Praxis I Test, is required for students to be admitted to the teacher education program and to take most courses, he said.

"The students must make the (Praxis) cutoff score set by the (Virginia) State Board of Education to be admitted to most of our programs and courses," he said, and added that the Board of Education made sure Virginia's cutoff score was among the highest in the country to ensure quality.

Pettus also said the college's selection, screening and retention processes are a possible cause of the high degree of A's. He said that many students don't take education courses until their junior year, and are provided with "the option of pursuing another career path before receiving low or failing grades."

The other reason Pettus identified as a possible cause is that the instructional and assessment emphases may be different.

"Most of the courses in education are performance-based and have field-based components," he said. "In these courses, the emphasis is on mentoring and coaching students."

Pettus said, while he did not know if the differences in distribution of grades shape student opinion of the college, "once students get admitted to the College of Education programs and begin their learning experiences, most of them have very favorable impressions of what goes on in the courses, and of the results that accrue from the experiences."

Sophomore Courtney Frank, an interdisciplinary liberal studies major, said although she was not aware of the differences in grade distribution, she also wasn't surprised, especially at the difference between the College of Education and other colleges, such as the College of Science and Mathmatics.

About 35 percent of the grades in the College of Science and Mathematics are A's, compared to JMU's average of 46 percent.

"The math and science classes are a lot harder, whereas the education classes are more group work and just learning to work together," she said. "We learn a lot of practical stuff so it stays with us easier."

Frank said because the nature of work in the College of Education is different, sometimes people outside the college think it is easier. "If I talk to people around me, they think you're only learning about adding and subtracting," she said. "But, they don't realize we need to know all the mechanics behind why we learn the way we do."

Frank said she noticed some differences in the way her education teachers grade, but compared to other general education classes she has had, she said she felt students still deserved the grades they earned in the College of Education.

"It's different," she said. "I think [education majors] learn the material better because the classes are smaller and the professors really want us to learn."

Senior Tina Radin, a school of communications studies major, said the difference in grade distribution "is more a matter of the nature of the work, not that some professors grade differently.

"It's frustrating that you'll work so hard in your own classes and don't get the grades, when students in other classes — who, I mean, of course work, too — get the A's just because it's a different kind of work."

Because many attribute the difference in grade distribution to the type of work required of students. A. Jerry Benson, dean of the College of Integrated Science and Technology, said it was irrelevant for professors to receive mass grading instructions or guidelines.

"That's part of academic freedom," he said. Occasionally professors will choose to "team up" to "normalize grading" when teaching the same course, but that the grading is otherwise left up to the individual, Benson added.

Senior Amanda Poulin, a communications sciences and disorders major, said, "Because JMU is a liberal (arts) college, it's more focused on verbal [skills] and not math." She said this aspect could contribute to the differences in grade distribution.

A student's desire and natural ability probably determine his or her likelihood of success more than any other factor, Poulin added.

"Some students are blessed with an amazing head and some have a given heart," she said. "If you come here and pick your major, you have to have the heart to pursue what you're interested in. I think people in education do that."