Approved by the University Faculty, October 6, 2014

Assessment and Grading Expectations

Princeton University is committed to fairness and transparency in assessment of students’ work and grading practices. This approach emphasizes well-defined evaluative criteria and meaningful feedback as the most important pedagogical components of the grading system.

• Faculty shall use grades and substantive feedback to give students clear and detailed information about the quality of their work.
• Each department and program shall articulate well-defined and meaningful grading standards for work within its discipline. It shall be the responsibility of the department chair or program director to lead faculty colleagues in adhering to these standards.
• The Faculty Committee on Examinations and Standing shall periodically review departmental standards to ensure that they are consistent with the University’s assessment philosophy and its commitment to the integrity of the grading system.
• The Council on Teaching and Learning shall support the efforts of academic units to advance the pedagogy of assessing student work.
• Each year, the Dean of the College shall inform new members of the faculty about the University's assessment and grading expectations.

Reporting and Monitoring

• Each fall, the Faculty Committee on Examinations and Standing shall report to the faculty on the grading record of the previous academic year.
• The reports to the faculty shall document the grades they have actually given (that is, grades before P/D/F conversions are made).
• Grading data for all departments and programs, all divisions, and the University as a whole shall be made available to all faculty on an annual basis.
• Each department and program shall internally review its grading history on a regular basis to ensure consistency with its promulgated assessment and grading standards.
• The Faculty Committee on Examinations and Standing shall review the grading history for each department and program to ensure consistency with assessment and grading standards, communicating with departments and programs as necessary.

Contextual Information

Information about each student's cumulative class standing at the end of the semester most recently completed shall be reported to the student in the online academic record. That standing shall be reported in terms of quintiles — e.g., 1st quintile, 2nd quintile.

Grading Definitions