The report suggests that the change go into effect with the Class of 2005 since “although it should have no effect on concentration choice...it seems wise to begin implementation with those students who will begin their concentration work in the fall.”

The other proposal that will be voted upon by the Faculty is the switch from a 15 to four-point grading scale. If approved, the change would go into effect for the 2003-2004 academic year.

Wolfson Professor of Jewish Studies Jay M. Harris said last week that the Faculty Council endorsed switching the scale in order to eliminate the gap between a B-plus and an A-minus. He said this gap might cause some professors to award higher grades.

And Harris says the proposed change would make administrative sense.

“There is a perfectly good scale already out there that everyone uses,” Harris said. “It is simple and elegant.”

The Faculty will not vote upon whether to add the percentages of A’s awarded in a class next to the student-earned grade on the transcript—a suggestion to combat grade inflation made by an EPC subcommittee earlier this month.

According to the report, “The full EPC was less persuaded than the subcommittee of the specific advantages of including this particular information on the transcript.”

But according to Pedersen, the Faculty has said it is worth considering different types of transcripts in the future.

Pedersen says even if the proposals are not approved, she feels progress is being made in combating grade inflation.

“Once the EPC subcommittee started talking about grades we thought we could do more to address the idiosyncrasies and transparency of the system—that seemed the more important part of the debate,” she said.

—Staff writer Jessica E. Vascellaro can be reached at vascell@fas.harvard.edu.