news-record.com

This is NOT about student's being successful at another post-secondary institution. This is about MONEY. GTCC has been pushing for more income in the last ten years. There are several ways to accomplish this. First, allow "undocumenteds" to attend classes at in-state prices. Next, don't hire full time employees. The more adjuncts(part-tiime) the less you have to pay in benefits, pay, etc. Then, change the grade point scale so that students can pull a C when they should have a D.
Think about this for a moment. The argument used for changing the grading scale is that all the other schools are doing it. Yet, the counties to the north and south do not use the ten point system. I do know that when I went to undergrad and grad it was a seven point scale. When I took CC courses it was on a seven point system. The only time I had a ten point system was in HS. Where are all those schools with the ten point system?
Here's the real skinny on it. It's the money push, again. If GTCC wants to compete with Davidson, Randolph, Rockingham, Alamance, and Forsythe, they will have to offer something better for the student. "Well, I could go to Randolph but they're on that seven point thing. I want better grades for the crappy work I do. I'll go to GTCC so I can get what I pay for." Then you have an iInstant student enrollment increase. Student enrollment up means more money for the school.
More money for the school should mean more full-time instructors. However at GTCC it does not. It means that they hire another ten adjunct instructors. I challenge you to walk through the halls of GTCC and see how many adjuncts there are at that institution. I'm willing to bet that it is nearly seventy to eighty percent adjunct instructors. More than likely the extra money will go to building another parking lot to accomodate the increase in students. Maybe it will go to build Dr. Cameron another man-made pond with a fountain.
Where does all the money go that arrives at GTCC? (N&R look close) Without a doubt GTCC is a For-Profit-Institution. Instructors and students don't matter. The almighty dollar does.

The previous post misses the point. Grades are always ultimately the discretion of the instructor. Whether it is a 7-point scale or 10-point scale, it is the instructor who is setting up the curriculum to target those grades. An instructor forced into a 7-point system might create a slightly "softer" testing system to achieve that grade. A letter grade is a somewhat arbitrary way of grading, but if most colleges are using it, then it seems to make sense that GTCC follows that trend; is a student who records a 92 in a course substantially less deserving of a scholarship b/c they received "B" for the same course, when a "92" at another school would be rewarded with an "A". Ultimately GTCC is trying to do is to bring the *perception* of its grading system inline with others, such that students appear to have a level playing field to compete for scholarships. And yes, this is about money; every dollar provided in scholarship is a dollar of the legislature-funds that is freed for additional support. Unlike the previous post, I never had a secondary school course provide a 10-point scale; and nearly every college *does* subscribe to the 10-point scale.

What the previous post missed was the blantent lie perpetrated by the administration of GTCC that the lowering of academic standards is being done by "most" of the universities and community colleges. To compound the lie they say that it will aid students in getting in to other institutions. It may aid them with an inflated grade, but they will not be as successful in the classroom as when they are held to the standards of most universities.
One thing that must be understood is that GTCC cares about one thing: get as many students in the seats as possible so that the coffers fill. There is not an alumni fund. The only source of revenue is putting students in chairs.
As far as saying that nearly every college has a ten point system is baloney. The article even states that Randolph has seven and Rockingham is at the instuctor's whim. I do know that at Durham Tech that college transfer students are provided with seven and vocational is ten. I have taught at several post-secondary institutions in this state either as FT or adjunct and I have yet to see a university use a ten point system.
What GTCC is doing is trying to allow the lower middle student who isn't able to cut it at GTCC a false hope that he or she will make it at the university level. What this is doing is lowering academic standards. This is one more step in the dumbing of America. Thanks for looking toward the future GTCC!

I am in graduate school at a large private university in another state. They use a ten point scale, but they also give As and A-. They are different when put into the GPA. I have not made less than an A- but I work very hard to maintain that standard. I do not think going to the ten point scale lowers the standards. To properly transfer to a 4 year school GTCC students need to be on the same scale. Draco seems a little bitter at GTCC.

Let one of these kids try and transfer to an out of state university - under the 7 point scale many might not qualify for admission in competing with the rest of the country who uses a 10 point system. Then they are at a huge disadvantage for scholarships etc. The field is also the same for High Schools, our kids are at a disadvantage nationally when a 3.0 from most states High Schools would be a 2.0 from ours. Both admissions and scholarships are hurting our kids from NC by the unlevel playing field.