Making the (Letter) Grade: The Incentive Effects of Mandatory Pass/Fail Courses

Kristin Butcher (), Patrick McEwan and Akila Weerapana ()
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Kristin Butcher: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; NBER; and Department of Economics Wellesley College Wellesley, MA 02481
Akila Weerapana: Department of Economics Wellesley College Wellesley, MA 02481

Education Finance and Policy, 2024, vol. 19, issue 3, 385-408

Abstract: In fall 2014, Wellesley College began mandating pass/fail grading for courses taken by first-year, first-semester students, although instructors continued to record letter grades. We identify the causal effect of the policy on course choice and performance, using a regression-discontinuity-in-time design. Students shifted to lower-grading science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses in the first semester, but did not increase their engagement with STEM in later semesters. Letter grades of first-semester students declined by 0.13 grade points, or 23 percent of a standard deviation. We evaluate causal channels of the grade effect—including sorting into lower-grading STEM courses and declining instructional quality—and conclude that the effect is consistent with declining student effort.

Date: 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00401
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Working Paper: Making the (Letter) Grade: The Incentive Effects of Mandatory Pass/Fail Courses (2022)
Working Paper: Making the (Letter) Grade: The Incentive Effects of Mandatory Pass/Fail Courses (2022)
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