Harvard Faculty Votes to Address Grade Inflation by Limiting the Number of ‘A’ Grades Awarded
“Some students told WBZ-TV they were concerned it would create a more competitive environment.”
When this issue first came up a few weeks ago, students responded by creating a petition which labeled this as racism.
CBS News reports:
Harvard faculty votes to limit number of A’s awarded, aiming to combat grade inflation
Harvard University faculty members voted to cap the number of A’s awarded to students in an effort to make the grades more meaningful.
By a vote of 458 to 201, faculty approved a measure that caps the number of A grades to 20%, plus four additional per class, the university confirmed Wednesday. There is no limit to the number of A-‘s or other grades that can be given out. Another measure that would have allowed courses to opt out of the cap was rejected, 364 to 292.
The new policy, which only applies to undergraduate students, goes into effect in the fall of 2027 and will be reassessed after three years.
In a statement, members of the Subcommittee on Grading said it was a critical policy for students because “[a] Harvard A grade will now tell them, as well as employers and graduate schools, something real about what a student has achieved.”
“Today the Harvard faculty voted to make their grades mean what they say they mean. For decades, grade inflation has been a collective-action problem: everyone saw it, but no one faculty member could fix it alone. The faculty have now taken a major step to fix it together,” the subcommittee said.
Some students told WBZ-TV they were concerned it would create a more competitive environment. “It just seems like more of a competition and it’s like already a competition to be there,” said student Abidah Shaikh.
“I think it’s just really harmful for like a classroom environment,” said student Tallulah Paris.
Harvard began considering the change after the subcommittee found that too many students were getting A’s. They said employers and graduate school admissions offices said Harvard transcripts “no longer provide them useful information.”
Harvard Business School student Rachel Carp worries it may leave students applying for graduate programs at a disadvantage. “I wonder if the med schools and the law schools and other sort of rigorous grad school programs would also understand, and potentially have a lower GPA expectation,” Carp said.
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Comments
This is about as stupid as you would expect from Harvard.
How about just giving students the grades they earn? No? Not an option? Okay, never mind. Harvard is finished.
Used to be that A’s were the reward for proactive students who did their own research outside the regular coursework. Those who just regurgitated what they were taught in the lecture hall got B’s at best.
What is wrong with the grades a student earns with rigorous standards instead of arbitrarily punishing good students?
What? And take the chance that students from “under-represented” victim groups won’t get their fair share?
Why,,,that’s not equity…that’s [shudder] “equality”.
You must be a Fascist, White Supremacist Transphobe.
RE: “Today the Harvard faculty voted to make their grades mean what they say they mean. For decades, grade inflation has been a collective-action problem: everyone saw it, but no one faculty member could fix it alone. The faculty have now taken a major step to fix it together,” the subcommittee said.
I am amazed that there seems to a total lack of research to factually determine if grade inflation exists, and if it does exist, how prevalent is it.
Also, the factual review could identify instructors that appear to practice grade inflation. If they are actually guilty, these instructors would be instructed to change their ways.
To me, a rifle approach is much better than using a shotgun.
In theory, everyone who has mastered the subject should get an “A.”
Before making the change, a statistically valid study should have been made, so the decision makers would have a factually basis for making changes.
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