To get into the program, students must complete three semesters of university coursework and carry a minimum grade-point average of 2.75 on a scale of 4.0. A grade of C in a nursing course is not a sign of being average. It's one step away from serious trouble. The courses are tough, and A's aren't easy to come by, said Melissa Ozuna, a nursing student in her last year. Standards are laid out in each course and students are expected to meet them, Reed said.
Grades reflect progress toward the goal.
To grade students based on how they performed in relation to each other would be incompatible with standards-based assessment, she said. If the college used curves, she explained, students who fail to meet course standards could get A's simply because they did better than their peers. A student who earns a D or an E must take the class again. If that happens twice, the student is expelled, Reed said. If you don't know your stuff . . .