The Cal Poly catalog lists the following standards for grades.
Note: By these standards, a C is truly an “average” grade.
A Superior attainment of course goals
B Above average attainment of course goals
C Average attainment of course goals
D Poor attainment of course goals
F No attainment of course goals
Detailed Course Grading Standards
Note: It is difficult to receive a full A in this course.
A — Excellent work in every way. Obviously well conceived and descriptive. Objectives are clearly and convincingly stated. Excellent background material clearly frames and introduces the subject. Themes are logically stated and organized, and clearly support the overall objective. Content is detailed and makes good use of sensory interaction. Conclusions are well supported by content and organization. The overall presentation shows a high level of understanding and perspective. The work is easy to understand and is highly persuasive. Exhibits a clear sense of unity and purpose. Contains no major and only a few minor errors. Visuals are highly informative, clearly designed, and aesthetically appropriate. The excellence demonstrated with the student’s work and forethought is of such high caliber that the student could conceivably teach the related portion of the course. Makes clear and effective use of the major concepts from the course readings.
B — Work presents content clearly and displays a firm grasp of the material but without as much focus and in-depth perspective as "A" work. Material is presented logically with perhaps a few minor lapses in clarity and transition; still, overall the work is still well organized, thoughtfully conceived, and avoids common generalizations. Most of the work is clearly presented and adequately detailed; some sections may be awkward but not unclear. Successful effort is evident throughout. No major errors; some minor errors but none that disrupt an easy review of the work. Graphics are informative, intelligible, and support the content. The skills demonstrated with the student’s work and forethought are of such high caliber that the student is clearly well above average and in the upper 10-15% of her/his class.
C — Displays an average grasp of the content. The work may be precise and accurate, but does nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary. Relies too much upon wholly extracted sections of content from other sources. Treatment of the topic is general and lacks detail. Some lapses in clarity and focus; perspective is mostly observational. Adequately organized. Visuals somehow are in conflict with the work’s objectives. The work demonstrates that the student is paying attention, doing what is asked of him or her, but not much more.
D — No vision or thought evident. Weak grasp of content. Little or no perspective or detail on the topic except what is presented through sweeping generalizations. Frequent major and minor errors; poorly organized. Visuals are poorly designed and do not support the content of the work. The work is of such poor quality that the student would be embarrassed to show to a potential employer.
F — No sense of technical unity or understanding of technical content. May be completely off-topic and shows no understanding of purpose. Work may be entirely unusable or have frequent major errors. Displays a flagrant lack of concern for, or misunderstanding of, the goals of the project or the course. Visuals and graphics may be completely borrowed from some other source, poorly designed, or unintelligible.