Grading Scale For Your Nursing Program........

KC CHICK · Dec 18, 2001

The grading scale for my ADN program was exactly the same as yours, Truthseeker.....everything below 75 was failing. It is very possible to pass successfully.

Not to be rude, but, why set lower expectations for yourself?? Set the bar high and do your best. You chose your college for a reason....who cares what everyone else is doing?? Making waves and signing petitions usually doesn't mean much to college administrators. (They look at numbers...pass rates for the NCLEX)

Focus on your studies....focus on YOU. You can pass with this grading scale...and you'll be very proud of yourself when you do.

I got through the program with a 3.1 GPA and am darn proud of it. (Considering I took all my co-requisite classes w/my nursing courses at the same time.)

It can be done! Go with the flow and deal with the perameters that have been set for you. They always told us that a good nurse is a 'flexible' nurse.

Anne

(My school was Penn Valley Community College of Kansas City, Mo.)

kennedyj · Dec 18, 2001

My school BethEl college of nursing / Univ of Colorado

A 96-100

A- 90-95

B+ 87-89

B 84-86

B- 80-83

C+ 77-79

C 74-76

C- 70-73

under 70 failing

we would ave about 5 A-/A's for 30 students per core course

hope it helps

Jared

mfonseca · Dec 18, 2001

:eek: I am currently under an ADN Program here in Houston, TX. Our grading scale is as follows:

90-100=A

80-90=B

70-80=C

Under a 70 is failing. We have 7 test per semester which count 75% if our final grade. Our Math test (which we took with every test, counts for 10% of our final grade, and of course our comprehensive test counts for 15%. I just finished my third semester! We get three grades per semester. One is for lecture test, the other for lab test, and the other for clinical. If we fail one we would fail all regardless of we would have all A's. In our final semester we have to have a 85% or better in our HESI test in order to graduate.

In the first year of nursing school we had only 4 tries to pass our math test, and we had to get a 90 or above, if we didn't pass, we would of been kicked out of the program. We are also not under a "block" format. Which means we do a little of everything all at once. For example, We don't do one semster all on OB/GYN or pedi. We start doing all of that since the beginning. First semester was Preventive care or routine care. Second a little Med-Surg and a little critical. Third is critical care in all areas. Good luck and any advice would be very helpful on how to survive the last semester!!! Also how do you know what area you should work in the first year of school. I am still clueless about this. I like Pediatrics, NICU, and ER.

AMBOO · Dec 18, 2001

I also have the same grading scale you have. I am in Nursing-4

in a comm. college. I really do not think it is fair for all the other progams in our college to have the normal grading scale and ours gets jacked up!!!! We have to make a 80 on all our test including

clinical, tests, quizes and FOUR drug doses test. If all five of your test don't come out to an 80 they won't even figure in the rest of your grade ..you fail.......so if you get anywhere with complaining let me know we also would like to know"WHAT'S THE DEAL???!!!

MQ Edna · Dec 18, 2001

KC CHICK,

The reason why I believe we need to change the grading scale is because in 1999, they totally changed the curriculum. So our passing rate is not that great with this new curriculum. In each level, there has been half or more of the students to fail with two or three to drop out completely.

And also, with this new curriculum, each level does not prepare you for the next level that you pass into. Like with the old curriculum, it built upon itself. Meaning, Level 1 prepared you for Level 2, Level 2 prepared you for Level 3 and Level 3 prepared you for Level 4. With this new curriculum, you don't know what they will be teaching, but are expected to know something about what they are teaching. And there is no way of knowing, until you are sitting in class the first day.

So that is why I think that either go back to the old curriculum that did prepare you for each level, that did build upon itself, or changed the grading scale.

I truly do understand what you are saying and yes I have set high standards for myself.

And something else, when they changed the curriculum, they kept the grading scale as is, but also changed the hours. Before Level 2, 3, and 4 was 12 hours, full time, with Level 1 being only 10 hours. Now Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 are only 10 hours.

And on top of that, they added this other course that is 1 hour, called: Professional Development. With this course, you earn points, but the points will not be added and divided by 4, until the fourth level. And in order to earn these points, you have to do volunteer work, like doing BP, working a blood drive, community work, or join SNO or MOSA, go to the Nursing conventions, yes you do pay for your points. But like I said, from Level 1 to Level 4, you are earning points till the last day of Level 4. Then you turn in your Professional Development portifolio, the teacher that is in charge of figuring up how many points you have, will add the points and divide by 4 ["4 Levels] and that will be your grade in that course.

But you still have got to come up with another hour so that you will be 12 hours, full time.

When you get into Level 4, you have to take a Leadership course on Mondays for 5 weeks [yes very boring], which is one hour. So that one hour course and your professional development course that will make you full time, 12 hours.

Like I said they changed everything except for the grading scale.

CYNTHIA SHANKEL · Dec 18, 2001

I just graduated from a BSN program. Our grading scale was

90-100 A

80-89 B

74-79 C

Below 74 was a D, but it might as well have been an F because you could not pass anything with a D. To be honest I'm not sure where the cutoff between D and F was. Our grading scale was changed the semester I started clinicals (2nd sophomore) and all the upperclassmen complained because we were getting special treatment (theirs was changed too, but it was not retroactive to previously earned grades). Before it was the same as yours I believe.

MQ Edna · Dec 18, 2001

Nurse Tami,

Our grading scale is also [i thought] was written in stone and made clear to you from the very beginning as well as each time you go into another level or repeat a level.

It was verified by an instructor that this past Fall 2001 semester, every Level 3 student in Level 3, received 3 points added to their final grade.

It is written that in order for you to pass, you have to pass with an 80 in each level for your final grade. So several Level 3 students who had a 77 or higher for their final grade passed because they received 3 points extra.

How they got this "3 points" added to their final grade? Some of the students went to the vice president of our school. And what ever was said the "3 points," were the results of it, which has caused me as well as 7 or so students to received letters that says that they could not tell us if we were accepted back into level 4, because of not enough faculty for level 4.

Now if they would have told me it was because of my GP, hey I would have accepted it peacefully. But because they do not have enough faculity for Level 4, which stems from Level 3 receiving 3 points and passing students who actually failed. That is not

right! :( Yes Level 3 was a big class of 55 students.

That is blocking me and the others from finishing what we

started. :(

CYNTHIA SHANKEL · Dec 18, 2001

Tattoochick wrote:

At my school, no rounding up...if you have a 73.99, it won't be rounded up so you can pass! The decimal is dropped and you have a 73. The crazy rounding system screwed me out of at least 2 As in 10 credit hour classes. Oh, well, I'm done now. I've been a college graduate for 2.5 days now. It feels so nice...

kenmill · Dec 18, 2001

I for one am thankful that our program has such high standards (anything below 76% is failing). The way I look at it is who do I want caring for me or a member of my family, a nurse that barely passed with a low score, or one who passed un the upper percentile of their graduating class? Not mention programs with higher grading criteria have more nurses passing boards on the first attempt. Our school has an ADN program and a respiratory therapy program, both use the higher standard for pass/fail, and both have an extremely high percent of graduates pass their boards on the first try.

bungies · Dec 18, 2001

In Australia they do it differently...

To coincide with the rest of the University (Health - Nursing etc., Arts, Science, Business and other degrees are all done through the University), the passing grade is 50% (Australian Unis are very Government controlled; they can't do it their own way as they could in a private Uni). What they do to ensure quality nursing care is raise the bar for what they call 50%.

For example, we were graded on a "Bondy" scale:

Independent (= A)

Supervised (= B)

Assisted (= C)

Although you had to get a minimum of 1 Independent and 3 Supervised to pass in final year, this was a bare pass, and called 50%. If you got Assisted (meaning that the supervisor had to actually help you do anything), you failed. So in effect, you needed an A and 3 Bs to pass - grade point average of 77.5%

So thinking it through, it's equivalent, isn't it?

bmatous · Dec 18, 2001

My grading scale was the same as yours. Anything below a B- was considered failing, however. A C was not acceptable. For a long time I thought that was ridiculous, but when I saw what those numbers weeded out in the line of students with poor nursing skills, I began to see why. My Nursing School consistently had one of the highest rates of NCLEX passing rates in our state!

Peeps Mcarthur · Dec 18, 2001

To use a politicaly incorrect hunting analogy: "Shoot for the eagle, hit the pheasant, and NEVER eat crow!

My school is on the ten point grading scale, but the tests that they write have little to do with the bulk of the study guides in some classes.

Not to sound harsh, but what is the sense in striving for anything but an "A"? An ocassional "B" is going to happen with the variables involved in writing tests for a wide range of skill levels, but "C's should not be necessary with any decent effort.

If you truly strive for an "A", and look inside yourself for the honesty of why you are not achieving it, you will find the answer.

Don't allow yourself excuses because they won't appear on your transcript.

For instance, course study guides are now available in my bookstore for the next semester(7 weeks away). I will have all the lab homework done, and will have made flashcards compiled by section for the entire semester. I can then devote my time to memorization on a larger scale rather than spending time making flashcards. I can have any questions about material in the study guide ready before classes start each lecture. I can only expand on my knowledge of the material. virtualy impossible to fall behind that way.

Regardless of what grade scale they use, I won't even sniff a "C".

If you were getting an "A" would you even care about this?

I'm sorry that you're having trouble, but I would be more pissed about getting a 91% and not getting an "A" myself.