HLS announces new grading system

[hazmat]

<p>[The</a> Harvard Crimson :: News :: HLS Announces New Grading System](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=524950]The”>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=524950)</p>

<p>Dean Kagan

** Under the transition scheme, first-year students will receive grades of “Honors,” “Pass,” “Low Pass,” and “Fail,” as stipulated by the new system in all their courses, starting this semester. Third-year students will finish their last year under the old system, which has nine categories spanning A+ to F.

**</p>

[sallyawp]

<p>Actually, the new grading scheme was announced some time ago (and was discussed in another thread). This article is now discussing how current students will be transitioned into the new grading system from the old one.</p>

[swamyismyguru]

<p>do you think that this new grading system is gonna spread to other top 5 schools like nyu and columbia law school?</p>

[sallyawp]

<p>This “new” grading system is actually a reinstatement of an older grading system that many law schools used to use. I know that Penn Law was among the last to change from their E (excellent), G (good) and f (fair) system with its stricting enforced 20/40/40% curve in the 90’s. After that, as far as I know, Yale was one of the last holdouts to the old grading system. The fact that law schools are moving back to these grading systems from the A/B/C system is just a turnaround, nothing more and nothing less. Some more law schools may revert to H/P/F type systems and others may stay with A/B/C systems. I don’t think that it makes a whole lot of difference for anyone.</p>

<p>I do know that one of the reasons why law schools moved away from the H/P/F type systems was that judges hiring clerks and law firms hiring associates found it easier to understand the much more commonly used A/B/C systems.</p>