Faculty Vote to Keep Pass/Fail for Preps

Faculty voted to approve the prep pass/fail policy as a permanent addition to Exeter’s curriculum the week before winter break. 

Previously, prep pass/fail was only a pilot program, with the first three-year trial in February 2013 and the second one in December 2015. Originally proposed by the Curriculum Committee, the policy ensured that all preps would receive either a passing or failing mark for their fall term classes to help the adjustment to Exeter’s rigorous academics.

“Most students still took their studies quite seriously and a big drop in average GPA was not seen,” Chapman said.

Michele Chapman

The majority of faculty supported the policy on the grounds that by reducing academic pressure, preps would be given more time to adapt to boarding school. “Pass/fail allows preps to make social connections, learn how this place ticks and reach out to teachers and older students without the added stress of grades that would not reflect their true capabilities at this school,” Science Instructor Michele Chapman said. 

Similarly, Learning Specialist and Coordinator of Academic Support Jonathan Nydick stated that the program helps preps form critical learning skills. “Pass/fail allows preps the opportunity to focus more on how to learn at Exeter and less on the numerical results,” Nydick said.

The Curriculum Committee administered surveys in 2014 and 2015 and found that the pass/fail program helped 73 percent of preps adjust to Exeter, while 19 percent of preps found that the lack of letter grades decreased motivation.

Some instructors, particularly those teaching cumulative subjects, worry that the policy can make preps less prepared for the following term. Mathematics Department Chair Dale Braile said, “In math, for example, it is certainly possible for preps to pass their fall term [...] but find winter term math much more challenging.” 

Chapman, on the other hand, found no indication of poorer academic performance in science courses. “Most students still took their studies quite seriously and a big drop in average GPA was not seen,” Chapman said.

Some faculty members, including Mathematics Instructor Joseph Wolfson, abstained from voting, believing that students perform the same regardless of a pass/fail policy. “When I teach a course like 23X, with both preps and lowers, they behave pretty much the same, even though preps are pass/fail and lowers are graded,” Wolfson said. 

Prep Madeline Murray believes pass/fail eased her transition. “With the pass/fail system I could spend more time adjusting to boarding school and life at Exeter instead of freaking out over my first grades in high school,” Murray said.

Prep Jocelyn Sides elaborated that pass/fail was vital to her mental health in the fall. “I was already putting a lot of pressure on myself, and consistently had extremely high stress levels and little sleep,” Sides said. “If there were grades on top of that, I wouldn’t have been able to take it, and may have had to switch out of some of my more challenging classes, despite really enjoying them.”

In addition to the prep pass/fail program, there has been ongoing debate among faculty and Student Council about implementing pass/fail for new lowers. Dean of Health and Wellness Gordon Coole, however, sees less reason to do so because these students “have had a year of high school and a smaller transition.”

Students, including new lowers, have mixed feelings on the possibility of extending the policy. “I do not think [pass/fail] would be beneficial long-term,” new lower Oliver Hess said. “Personally, I would not have put my full effort into homework if I knew my transcript wouldn’t have letter grades on it.”

On the contrary, new lower Matthew Chen argued that new lowers could still benefit significantly from pass/fail. “Since we are still underclassmen, new lowers may not all have had the time to develop Harkness or writing skills that returning lowers developed during their prep year, so it puts us at a distinct disadvantage in this regard,” he said. 

Regardless of whether the policy is extended to new lowers, Modern Languages Instructor Viviana Santos believes the faculty’s decision to keep pass/fail represents a move towards a more holistic understanding of student needs. “In my 18 years here, I think we have moved toward a real consideration of a student’s overall health and experience,” Santos said.