Nursing School changing criteria to pass classes

[Reese2012]

Hello,

I am a sophomore at my nursing school and when I first began it was required for nursing students to pass the class with a 75% or higher on their exams and have an overall score of a 75% or higher to pass the class (this included hw as well). Well now out of nowhere they have decided to change that rule and starting next fall you will need to pass your classes with an 80% or higher.

What is everyone else's minimum to pass their nursing classes at their nursing school?

[tkjadon]

Oh, and just to add, that grade is based on exams only. Papers/ clinicals are strictly pass/ fail.

[Calypsocat]

NCLEX pass rate at my school varies between 95 and 100% depending on the year.

[ahinson07]

80% to pass at my school as well.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

you are purposefully miss understanding my use of the word you, it is reference to the school, ie the whol student populace. number one below. please explain your comment on no relation between grades and NCLEX pass rate, it is about as clear as mud.

I never purposefully miss understanding a word, and very, very rarely miss understanding one inadvertently. :) This is why I beg people to be more careful with English usage. If you meant, "Your program, " or "a program," and had said so, I wouldn't have misunderstood you.

As to my remark regarding comparing grades and NCLEX pass rate, what you said was:

.....it totally depends on the rigor of the program. If your pass rate on NCLEX is 85 %, then the B you passed with means less than the C that princessbride's program uses, if their NCLEX pass rate is 90%.

This says (as clarified) that you think that if a program's graduates' pass rate on NCLEX is 85%, you have a basis to compare an individual student's grades from that program (or is that the whole program's class members' grades too?) to grades from a program with a graduate NCLEX pass rate of 90%. There is no way to do that statistically. There is no way at all to quantify how a B in the first is better, worse, or equivalent to a C in the other. Also, "NCLEX pass rate" is not a proxy for "rigor."

So this is what I meant by saying that this is why more nursing schools should teach basic statistics, because this sort of misunderstanding bespeaks a graduate who may not be able to understand a study and apply its findings. To use evidence-based practice, you have to recognize the value of presented evidence.

[kendrizzle]

I am in level one nursing school at a community college in Houston. Near the beginning of the semester our professor said there is some talk about how other programs are raising up the passing number and that our program might do it soon. Currently, ours is 70%, and it might get raised to 75%.

[AmyRN303, BSN, RN]

Our passing threshold for my first semester was 73. We were notified before that semester began that the passing threshold would be raised to 77 for the second semester. (This change also effected those already further along in the program) We were also told that if anyone was accustomed to passing just above 73, he or she would likely need to seek assistance from the tutor, as there would be no rounding. It wasn't a mid semester change, it was prior to the semester.

[saseipler528]

My graduating class has a 75% test average and then a 75% class average that we need to maintain. The classes following us have a 78% test average and class average to maintain. I can see them moving to an 80% average in the next few years.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

again not understanding, on purpose or not.

I never purposefully miss understanding a word, and very, very rarely miss understanding one inadvertently. :) This is why I beg people to be more careful with English usage. If you meant, "Your program, " or "a program," and had said so, I wouldn't have misunderstood you.

As to my remark regarding comparing grades and NCLEX pass rate, what you said was:

This says (as clarified) that you think that if a program's graduates' pass rate on NCLEX is 85%, you have a basis to compare an individual student's grades from that program (or is that the whole program's class members' grades too?) to grades from a program with a graduate NCLEX pass rate of 90%. There is no way to do that statistically. There is no way at all to quantify how a B in the first is better, worse, or equivalent to a C in the other. Also, "NCLEX pass rate" is not a proxy for "rigor."

So this is what I meant by saying that this is why more nursing schools should teach basic statistics, because this sort of misunderstanding bespeaks a graduate who may not be able to understand a study and apply its findings. To use evidence-based practice, you have to recognize the value of presented evidence.

[mrsboots87]

This may sound awful, as I understand that some students are not good test takers or whatever and that could play into lower grades, but I honestly prefer a nurse who got better marks over one who did not. There are a few exceptions of course, but most of the students in my course that are riding the line between passing and failing, are subpar. And not just by my opinion, many notice it. I don't get into the chatty cliques, but poor students are noticed no matter how much you try to avoid drama. As long as you are striding for excellence and putting all of your effort into doing great, a couple point passing grade raise should not matter. Don't focus on the minimum you need to pass the course, aim for getting the A, whether you achieve it or not. I don't calculate out what it will take to pass the course, I put all my effort into study so I can ace the class. Not everyone will get A's and an A does not always make a better nurse, but students should not be focusing on the bare minimum to pass when lives will be in our hands.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

again not understanding, on purpose or not.

:: patiently :: OK, I'll bite (or since we're online, "byte"). What did you really mean?

[Pink Magnolia, BSN, RN]

Our's is 75%.

[WNTfanM9]

We have to pass with an 80% or higher. And there is no rounding up, so if you have a 79.9% it counts as a fail