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May 5, 2004
A Mathematician's Take on Grade Inflation
Jordan Ellenberg, an assistant math professor, penned a column in Slate where he outlines some numerical arguments against being concerned about grade inflation:
One of the most powerful and popular arguments against grade inflation is that it makes it difficult to tell one student from another. Harvey Mansfield, a professor of government at Harvard and a vocal grade-inflation foe, puts it this way: "Grade inflation compresses all grades at the top, making it difficult to discriminate the best from the very good, the very good from the good, the good from the mediocre."That sounds reasonable. But it's wrong.
An interesting discussion is attached to the article. Myself, I'm still not convinced that grade inflation should go unchecked. But then, I don't use a +/- grade system, so if you don't get an A in my class, you wind up with a B, C, D, or F. Does anyone really think that everyone should be "excellent" (the evaluative interpretation my institution associates with an A)? Hardly.
Comments
Sorry, but
1. there is no way to calibrate the grading system-- there is no standard of measure --not merely from one discipline or department to another, but there is no standard even among members (profs, graders) in the same department.
2. There is no data to support the relationship between grades and anything else -- except other tests and test-taking behavior.
3. It is of course important for people to be able to read and write and to have a bit of math at their disposal, if only to be able to discern dates and effectively use the remote.
I once took a class where the prof boasted that he never gave an A to anyone. And sure enough the arrogant asshole was correct, no one got an A.
I once took a class (grad psychology) where one student got an A and another student got an A-.
A- asked the prof to explain how he calculated the difference between an A and A- (A- stated in fact the not even Wundt or Titchner would be able to detect that fine discimination, an observation cavalierly dismissed by the jolly prof with a wave of his hand, the prof in question suffered a mild form of brain damage as the result of an auto wreck, and was teaching a class in --!-- projective techniques, which involved of course the deeply scientific art of interpreting -- ink fucking blots. A- stayed A-, and bears no resentment.....).
Posted by: degustibus at May 7, 2004 9:46 PM