UTSA should create a consistent grading system that is implemented throughout the university. The current plus/minus system can be helpful for some students, but detrimental to others.

The plus/minus system can be a GPA booster for some students. For example, in plus/minus a high “B” is recorded as a 3.3 instead of a 3.0 as in a whole grade system. The plus/minus scoring system can also act as a place marker for students to distinguish high performance from low performance.

For instance, when students are in a class that does not use the plus/minus system and all students of the receive a “B,” which is equivalent to a 3.0, then it may seem that each student grasped the information equally.

Though the plus/minus system can be beneficial for some, it can also be detrimental for students taking classes with tough graders. The usual rebuttal to this is that students should work more diligently and strategically. However, there are teachers (especially in the STEM majors) who grade so strictly that it is difficult for students to get a higher grade than a “A-.” This grade would be equivalent to a 3.25. In a whole grade system, that would be a 4.0.

The plus/minus system is not perfect. It has many flaws, but the biggest problem with the system is still each department not adopting it.

The plus/minus system can be beneficial to some and detrimental to others, but the miniuses out number the pluses. UTSA should go back to a whole letter system. Anything in between is not fair to students.