Abstract
Can grading practices and course policies reduce achievement gaps in higher education? This study examines whether course-level grading policies are associated with student success and equity outcomes in Political Science. We analyzed syllabi from 197 undergraduate course sections at a four-year regional public university across three semesters (Fall 2019, 2020, and 2022). Using OLS regression, we assessed how grading policies, instructor characteristics, and the COVID-19 pandemic correlate with DFW rates and equity gaps between underrepresented (URM) and nonunderrepresented minority (non-URM) students. Most grading practices were not significantly associated with DFW rates or equity gaps. Sections taught by lecturers had higher pass rates than those taught by tenure-track faculty, but equity gaps remained unchanged. Failure rates were slightly higher during the pandemic, but the difference was not statistically significant. Notably, penalties for absence were associated with higher pass rates overall but widened equity gaps, disproportionately benefiting non-URM students. This finding does not suggest that attendance is unimportant; rather, the pattern reflects broader structural barriers that affect students' ability to engage in learning. We conclude that reducing achievement gaps requires addressing structural inequities rather than treating them as issues that can be resolved solely through individual instructors' pedagogical choices.