Do you feel that some teachers give too many A’s? Is grade inflation a problem in your school?
On the whole, would you say that your teachers have been too easy, too hard or just right in their grading?
In “Harvard Proposes Capping A’s to Curb Grade Inflation,” Mark Arsenault reports on how the Ivy League school is trying to make high-level grades more meaningful after a recent report found that a vast majority of grades were A’s:
Harvard undergraduates would compete for a limited number of A grades in their courses under a faculty committee proposal released Friday meant to tame grade inflation at the Ivy League school.
During the last school year, about two-thirds of all undergraduate letter grades were A’s. Under the new proposal, grades of A would be limited to 20 percent of grades in a course, with an allowance of four additional A’s.
So, for example, a professor teaching a class of 100 students would be able to award up to 24 grades of A under the proposal, which could come to a vote by faculty this spring. There would be no limits on A-minus and lower grades.
Grades of A at Harvard are supposed to be reserved for work of “extraordinary distinction,” but they have exploded to become the majority of grades awarded.
The article continues:
Joshua Silverstein, a professor of law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, said the proposal, if approved, should effectively control inflation and make grades more meaningful.
The purpose of grades, he said, is to signal to students their level of accomplishment and subject mastery, help outside parties such as employers and graduate school admissions officers differentiate among candidates, and to help fairly disperse rewards, such as honors and merit scholarships.
“I like what Harvard is doing,” said Mr. Silverstein, who has studied and written about grading theory. “I think it’s a very important step in the right direction” to allow grades to once again serve their intended function.
If nearly every grade is an A, then grades no longer serve much purpose, he added.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
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What kinds of grades do you generally get? Are you satisfied with them? Do you think they are accurate assessments of your effort and performance?
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How important are grades to you? Do they motivate you to learn more or to work harder? If grades didn’t exist at all, how would your approach to school change?
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The article points out that grade inflation is a national issue that has been intensifying for decades. Does that match up with your own experiences? How big a problem is grade inflation at your school?
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What do you think of Harvard’s proposal to limit the number of A grades in a course? Is it an appropriate response to the issue of grade inflation? Why or why not? What do you think are the potential pros and cons of the new plan?
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The article says that an A grade at Harvard is supposed to be reserved for work of extraordinary distinction. Do you agree with that definition? What does an A mean to you? Does it diminish the value of an A if most of the students in the class also receive one?
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If you were in charge of your school’s grading policy, what, if anything, would you change?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
Jeremy Engle is an editor of The Learning Network who worked in teaching for more than 20 years before joining The Times.
The post Should Schools Limit the Number of A’s That Teachers Can Give? appeared first on New York Times.
